Apotheosis
by Hallucinations-from-the-Womb
Summary: In the aftermath, Shizuru desperately needs a break from everything and takes off on a road trip with the ever-eccentric Midori. Mai slowly succumbs to her own inner demons, seeking consolation in Natsuki. MaiNatsuki, but ultimately ShizNat.
1. The Caged Bird

_Hello everyone. I'm a new member of the site, and I'm rather excited to see how people react to my work. This is my first Mai-Hime fanfiction. I've been a longtime lurker of this particular section, and I would like to give a shout-out to several writers who I've especially liked in particular. _

_Firstly, Lestaki, who is writing the stunning 'Windows of the Soul.' Never before have I seen anyone give such realistic depth to Shizuru and Natsuki's inner psyches. And to Little-Demon-Inside, with her interpretations of Mai-Hime's sillier aspect. I particularly like her somewhat unconventional portrayal of Shizuru in 'Sweet Tooth'. _

_ This story is something I've been mulling over for a while. I noticed that most fanfiction presented Shizuru as one of several archetypes, and I wanted to break the mold a little by presenting her with one another character who no one would expect her to associate with at all. _

_ I wanted to potray Shizuru as someone who really isn't perfect, but is finding herself as a person, instead of spending all of her time agonizing after Natsuki. She's a very bad-ass person, and I wanted to show what might happen if she decided to stop torturing herself. Not to say I don't love myself some ShizNat goodness, and there will be plenty of that to come! As for Mai...the Seven Days of Fire premise from the Otome manga was very interesting, and Mai certainly showed a terrifying aspect of herself when she summoned Kagutsuchi to attack Mikoto after Takumi vaporized into green pollen. Besides, I'm conjuring up some very sexy images of evil Mai holding Natsuki captive. (perverted mind)_

_ Sorry for rambling on. Enjoy. : _

_• _

_A few weeks have passed since the Carnival of the Ikusahime, and not all of the dust has quite settled…_

Shizuru Fujino gazed unfocusedly into the middle distance. She was smiling vacantly, her fingers loosely curled around the steaming cup of green tea. In the background, Haruka Suzushiro's voice droned on about morality and ethnics.

The Student Council room faded away into a misty grey. The droning gradually rose into pitch, morphing into the high-pierced whine of a blade slicing through the air. She felt the hot blood spatter against her cheek, but didn't react. One of her eyes was twitching uncontrollably, but she no longer cared. Hollow laughter echoed amid the roaring fire, her shadow starkly thrown into relief by the flame's demonic light.

Natsuki's eyes, full of fear. Her expression as she recoiled from Shizuru's outstretched hand. It was like a bucket of ice-cold water being flung into Shizuru's face.

And just as abruptly, reality snapped back in.

The cup fell over with a quiet thud. Hot tea pooled across the desk's surface.

Shizuru Fujino clapped a hand over her mouth as she leapt from her seat, ignoring Haruka's yelp of surprise. She slammed through the door ungracefully, stumbling through the hall. Bile swelled in her throat, burning the back of her mouth. She made it to the bathroom just in time to hang her head over the toilet bowl, heaving miserably.

Gasping shakily, Shizuru sat back, her knees trembling. She passed a hand across her eyes, trying to will away the hideous images. There were far too many of them, fluttering in her mind's eye like ghostly crows. She'd lost control of her self-possession, and it terrified her. She'd been slipping more and more often, but it was the first time she'd done it at school, and during a student council meeting, no less.

Suddenly and quite unexpectedly, Shizuru began to sob. The dry, racking sobs became low wails as she shook on the cold, dirty tiles. She cried like she never had for years—she cried with unrestrained abandon, like a child. After a long while, the wails slowly subsided into shuddering, heaving little cries as Shizuru slowly went limp, spent.

It was a long time before Shizuru came back into herself, gradually growing aware of where she was. The surrealism of it all went through her like vertigo, and Shizuru sat up slowly. There was a quiet, timid knock at the door. "Shizuru? Is everything okay?"

It was Yukino's voice.

Shizuru rubbed at her bloodshot eyes. She never liked letting her composure slip in front of others. It was too vulnerable, too terrifying. "Yes, Yukino. I'm sorry. I just….felt ill of all a sudden."

There was silence from behind the door. Then, even more softly: "Were you thinking about the Carnival?"

Shizuru sighed. Damn Yukino for being so perceptive. Of all of the Himes, only Natsuki and Yukino had seen the ugliness underneath Shizuru's veneer. She would never forget the look in Yukino's eyes when Kiyohime killed her Child, and for that Shizuru would be repenting for a long, long time. The memory was still raw in her mind, like a bloody wound that hadn't quite scabbed over.

Shizuru pushed away the grim thoughts and smiled faintly. "Yes, I was."

From behind the door, there was a soft sigh. "I think we all still are. I'll go tell Haruka that you're not feeling well and left to rest."

"Thank you, Yukino." Shizuru's tone was formal, belying the flood of gratitude she felt towards the shy, mousy girl.

Quiet footsteps pattered away into the distance, and when Shizuru was sure that Yukino had gone, she pulled herself to her feet. Her knees were still trembling slightly, but not quite as violently. Shizuru stared into the mirror. Her cheeks were blotched and red, her eyes haggard. She looked like shit, which was pretty unusual, considering. She usually always kept on a flawless masquerade, always carrying herself with poise and grace as an example to the rest of the school, complete with squealing fanclub in tow.

Usually, she would've cared. She would've fixed her hair, gathered her composure, and glided back out into the world of the living.

But right now….for some reason, Shizuru didn't care anymore. Something inside her had snapped. She'd had enough of pretending, enough of masquerading. She felt reckless. An eerily maniac sort of calm had overtaken her mind.

And it felt damned_ wonderful._

Shizuru smiled at her reflection. Her reflection smiled back, but wasn't her usual vapid smile. There was something of the devil in that smile, and it thrilled her. Still smiling, she left the bathroom.

In the hall, the usual squeals and shrieks of delight accompanied her appearance, and swarms of fangirls began to descend. Usually, Shizuru would've stopped. She would've smiled at them, nodded her head, acknowledged them.

She didn't.

As she breezed on right past them, ignoring them completely, the students were left in her wake staring after her with stunned expressions. Shizuru Fujino, being rude? That had never happened. Entire worlds were shattered in that moment, tender young minds traumatized.

After a few minutes of walking, Shizuru realized that she had come to her dormitory a lot faster than it usually took her. She smiled in amusement, noting the advantages of rudeness. Perhaps Natsuki's cold ice-princess demeanor wasn't such a bad approach after all, she mused. She increased her walking speed, leaving the world behind in a blur.

Door, stairs, hall, door, room. Her room. The door burst inwards with her push, clattering off against the opposite wall.

Drawers opened and closed. A suitcase. Clothes. Toiletries. All a blur, lost in a haze.

Shizuru took off her Kaichou uniform and pulled on a pair of jeans and a blouse. She roughly pulled her hair up into a messy bun, forsaking tidiness.

Shizuru was barely aware of what she was doing. She was acting on raw impulse, choosing to abandon her usual, painstakingly meticulous modus operandi. She felt like a caged bird that had suddenly learned that the door was open.

Shizuru glanced at a framed photo on her dresser. It was a photo of herself and Natsuki, from a more innocent time. Shizuru's gaze lingered upon it briefly, but the ephemeral happiness from looking at the picture was fleeting. There was a heavy pang in her chest, but she ignored it. She needed to sever the chain. All it had brought was unhappiness and misery on her part, and she was tired of it. So, so very tired.

Abruptly, she snapped her suitcase shut.

The bird had found its wings, and it would fly.


	2. Flight of the Kaichou

Shizuru cursed quietly. She hadn't expected it to end like this, but that was to be expected. It was only, after all a foolish, raw impulse.

_(foolish?)_

Angry, Shizuru quelled the doubt. She had already made her mind, hadn't she? She was suffocating, and she had to get _out._

Unfortunately, her plan had been foiled by a small but glaring detail—Shizuru had forgotten that the buses didn't run this late.

She was sitting on her suitcase just outside the main gate of Fuuka Academy, looking like an utter fool. It was very late, beyond the time where respectable, well-bred ladies like Shizuru Fujino shouldn't have even thought about venturing out into the night. The sky was a sickly brown, fading to orange near the horizon where the glare of the city was brightest.

Shizuru rested her jaw upon her fist, elbow propped up on her knee. She briefly considered phoning Natsuki, and then just as immediately squashed the idea. Ridiculous notion, calling the one person who was responsible for most of Shizuru's woes—even if said person was not actually aware of the fact.

She glanced at her watch, and sighed. It was well past midnight, and she was getting nowhere fast. It was very unlike her to be this spontaneous, this foolish, but it had seemed like such a wonderful notion at the time.

Shizuru unconsciously smiled as she imagined what would have happened if Haruka had come into the Student Council office the next morning and found it empty, save for a small, cheery note on the desk. What a scene _that_ would have been, a beauty to behold, the pinnacle of all Fujino-induced Haruka explosions.

There was a hideous screech of tortured rubber against asphalt, and two bright, glaring beams of light swept across Shizuru. She jerked, startled, and then reflex took over. She snatched the suitcase and jumped away from the curb just as a car skidded erratically to a stop mere inches away from where she had been sitting before.

The car's engine whined, and then died away—it almost sounded relieved to have a respite. The window rolled down. A familiar voice, somewhat too loud.

"Hey, Fujino! What are you doing out there all by your lonesome?"

Shizuru's eyes widened, but she quickly masked her surprise. _Of course…_

"Professor Sugiura…ara, this is a surprise."

Midori leaned out, grinning lazily. "No need for the formalities, Fujino. I'm no longer teaching. And after all, we're fellow comrades and ex-HiME rangers, were we not?"

Shizuru had to refrain herself from smiling at Midori's words; the woman was a force of nature, with an overwrought idea of justice and goodness, but it was hard not to admire that trait. Even if she did reek somewhat of sake.

"I was just waiting out here. I had plans, but it seems that they fell through."

Midori eyed her shrewdly. "Going somewhere? I see you have a suitcase with you. And judging by this ungodly hour, I'm guessing no one is aware of this."

Shizuru was slightly startled at the woman's keen observation, caught off guard. "Well….in a manner of speaking. I had planned to leave, but it seems transportation is something of an issue at the moment." She smiled and tilted her head politely, concealing her embarrassment.

Midori opened the door. "Get in."

Caught by surprise for the second time in less than a minute, Shizuru blinked. "Excuse me?"

The older woman grinned impishly, and patted the passenger's seat. "I'm going someplace else, and it looks like you are, too. So come, I'll give you a ride. It's the least I could do."

Shizuru was on the verge of declining. This was all so abrupt and unplanned, so unlike her….and she didn't even really know Midori that well; despite their roles as HiME, they had never really interacted beyond a formal level as professor and student.

"Well…" Shizuru looked down. Her mind flashed back briefly, a sickening memory of sobbing on the bathroom tiles, exposed and raw and hurting.

Shizuru's eyes narrowed slightly, her resolve strengthening. "I think I will, Midori. Thank you very much. I'm grateful. " She bowed, and Midori nodded.

"Just sling your suitcase in the back and hop on."

As Shizuru slid into the passenger's seat, Midori gunned the engine with a loud roar. "Where will you be going, then?"

Shizuru glanced out of the window as Fuuka Academy began to move and shrink back into the distance. "Nowhere. Somewhere distant, I think. I don't quite know, I'm sorry."

Midori smiled again—her trademark toothy grin. " No problem. I'm going someplace far away as well. Landed a teaching position at a university in the Chiba Prefecture. You're welcome to tag along for the ride. I'd be glad for the company, it's going to be a long while on the road."

Shizuru looked back at Midori, who was gripping the steering wheel loosely; the car was crazily careening across the road at her trademark breakneck speed.

_This may prove to be very interesting after all…_

•

Gentle sunlight streamed through a window, pooling on the floor and illuminating the delicate features of Mai Tokiha. The young woman was sprawled out at her desk in a deep slumber, facedown amid towers of haphazardly stacked books and papers. They leaned crazily at dangerous angles, but by some impossible flux in the law of physics, they remained upright.

The sharp ringing of a cell-phone rudely shattered the silence. A groan wound its way deep out of Mai's chest, and one hand shot out, fumbling around for the phone. Having achieved victory, the hand withdrew, cell phone in tow.

" Tokiha Mai speaking." A bleary-eyed Mai mumbled into the phone without lifting her head up off the desk."

"Yes…..yes…yes…." Mai droned. "Tohika Takumi is my brother….._what? The surgery? He—"_

Her eyes widened; her breath burst out in a shallow gasp as her grip loosened. "No…"

The cell phone fell through the air, spinning helplessly.

**_Sorry for this chapter being a little short, I'm just trying to move things ahead to the real action. Romance and drama and comedy, woohoo. And no, Takumi's not dead. I'm not that cruel. He's too adorable. I mean, he bakes cakes!_**

**_And MIDORI! Who didn't see that coming?_**


	3. The Red Queen

_Finally, Natsuki appears! It's a shame Shizuru doesn't do much in this chapter, although I think Mai makes up for that. And for those of you who are asking where Shizuru and Midori are going, Midori has already stated that, although Shizuru has no particular destination in mind. In official sources, it is said that at the end, after Natsuki's conversation with Sakomizu, she sent Takeda a rejection letter, saying there was someone else's feelings she had to accept, and that was clearly Shizuru's. It was apparently the nature of her and Shizuru's feelings which she was thinking about at the final scene of her at the cliff. This from an OFFICIAL SOURCE. I wonder why more stories haven't picked up on that?_

Gentle hands trailed down Natsuki's bare back, gliding across her milky skin, which glistened with a thin film of sweat. They dipped into the small of her back and scraped deliciously along the swell of her ass, dipping deep inside. Natsuki let out a small moan and arched. She looked up, and met Shizuru's gaze. Shizuru's face was flushed, and the older woman whispered throatily. Natsuki shivered with pleasure, but then her blood curdled as she realized what Shizuru was whispering into her ear.

"Duran, load Silver Cartridge. _Fire!"_

The shattering blast of light and ensuing roar sounded like the world ending.

•

Natsuki Kuga bolted upright in bed, heartbeats thundering in her chest, gulping in gasps of air. She regained control of herself, and as soon as she was able to think coherently, a surge of primal heat jolted through her lower body. Natsuki's cheeks burned.

Oh god, Shizuru.

Her mind went back to the image of Shizuru's face, replying it over and over in her head. And then, those few words….that…._oh god._

Natsuki buried her face in her hands, shuddering and sobbing quietly. It had only happened a few weeks ago, only a few weeks since the hellish Carnival, and the stark closeness of that terrified her. She had condemned Shizuru and herself to death, and had killed them so easily, so efficiently with a mere command. And ever-faithful, ever-loyal Duran had obeyed, even though it must have broken his heart. Obeyed his master, with the efficiency of a soldier.

She hadn't really had an in-depth talk with Shizuru since. Things were still too murky, too raw…Shizuru had cried, she had apologized over and over, in the ruins of the church, and Natsuki had told her everything was okay, that all was forgiven…

But was it really?

Natsuki knew Shizuru better than anyone else, and she knew Shizuru was a lake—still and motionless on the surface, its glistening reflection hiding fathomlessly deep waters. Natsuki wasn't an idiot, although she berated herself for being so blind to Shizuru's feelings before—but how could she have known, or understood? Her life had been too brutally simple—after recovering from the accident, the hospitalization, her entire focus had been directed towards retaliation, and she had been one of the first to become a HiME as a result, early on. Her love for her mother had manifested into Duran, the right arm of her vengeance. She had never questioned why, if Duran was her feelings manifest, why was he so small?

She hadn't had time for trivialities like friends or romance, and had never even thought bout sex. Shizuru Fujino had been the first to worm under her shields…unexpectedly, but not unwelcome. When the truth about her mother surfaced, Duran had vanished. The revelations about Shizuru had thrown her mind into further chaos, but in the end, Duran had returned, towering high beyond the treetops, a veritable colossus. Wasn't that proof enough that what she felt for Shizuru was truly love?

Fuck, she didn't even know what love was. It was such an abstract concept, and Natsuki was a rational person.

_That's just an excuse,_ a voice in the back of her mind whispered nastily. _You're just frightened, because you loved your mother, and ten she betrayed you. You think it might happen with Shizuru too, even though she's proved beyond a doubt—you're afraid to get too involved with people, because it's too fraught—_

Natsuki clamped down, breathing in through her nose. She knew she could probably begin to accept Shizuru's feelings—wasn't the dreams she had been having proof enough of that? It was easy to think about in theory, but when it really came down to it, Natsuki was scared shitless. Pretty much. She had told Shizuru that she couldn't return the other woman's feelings the way Shizuru wanted, but now she wasn't so sure if that was true.

Natsuki snorted quietly. She'd fought off armed soldiers, tanks, jumped from a helicopter, survived a cruiser's sinking, helped to defeat an ancient evil being, done so much insane crap—and here she was, Natsuki Kuga, quaking under her sheets.

She really needed to talk to Shizuru.

Natsuki reached for her cell phone.

•

Shizuru stirred, and yawned quietly as she slowly rose to wakefulness. The sun was rising, and she could feel its gentle light spilling across her face.

With a gentle sigh, she turned her head, working out the cramps in her neck and shoulders. Midori was sleeping in her seat, curled up in a bizarre sort of fetal position that had her leg up on the steering wheel and the other foot propped up on the ceiling.

Shizuru stifled a small chuckle, and reached out to wake Midori up. As she lifted her hand, Midori turned and stirred, muttering quietly in her sleep.

"Twelve to die, twelve to live. Twelve to fight. One to win."

The beginnings of a smile froze on Shizuru's face. Her hand hovered in the air. "Midori…?"

Midori let out a quiet snore and shifted her position to one that was even more eccentric than the previous one. God only knew what that was going to do to her spine. Shizuru sighed and shook her head, grinning crookedly at the older woman. _Stop getting spooked by ghosts, Shizuru. It's over._

She reached out and gently shook Midori on the shoulder. "Wake up."

Midori shot awake, startling Shizuru. "_What!_ But where has the sake gone, Youko!?"

She slowly gained bearing of her surroundings, and blinked at Shizuru, chuckling sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

Shizuru shook her head. "Don't worry. I've heard stranger."

Midori sat up, stretching as best as she could in the small space. "Are you all right, though? You had a strange look on your face."

"It's nothing, really. I was just thinking about things."

"The Carnival," Midori gazed intently at her. It wasn't a question.

Shizuru swallowed quietly. The awkward silence was suddenly punctured by the ringing of a cell phone.

"Forgive me," Shizuru blurted out, although she was secretly relieved. She pulled out her cell phone, knitting her eyebrows. _Who would be calling me at the crack of dawn?_

Her eyes widened as she saw who the caller was, and her heart thudded painfully in her chest._Natsuki. _

_ • _

Mai was in the church. She didn't really know why she was there; she had wandered there in a tear-stained haze, barely aware of anything. She had sought out some solace—she couldn't handle looking anyone in the eye right now, couldn't handle Mikoto asking her for food…couldn't handle the pity with which people would look at her.

The telephone call that early morning replayed in her mind over and over again. The first surgery had been successful, Takumi had written and said he would be coming back next semester…but then he had started to falter, and slip—a second emergency surgery…

The surgeon had made a mistake, and Takumi had flatlined for a few minutes. Oxygen flow to his brain was disrupted, resulting in the inevitable. It wasn't known at this time if he would wake up from the coma.

Stifling an anguished sob, Mai squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to cry. She had cried herself dry, was utterly bereft of tears now. Why was this happening now? With a shuddering sigh, she looked around.

The church hadn't been repaired yet. Most of the windows were shattered, and yawed like empty, ruined eye sockets. The roof was half gone, and the majestic, iron-wrought bell that had once hung In the tower lay in the ground, dashed to pieces. Natsuki had told her how it had happened, how Shizuru's naginata had slithered around the bell like a serpent and crushed it.

_Why is the future so uncertain? _Mai thought tiredly as she stared into space. _We won, didn't we ? But the Carnival ended differently than it should have. If only I had actually won, if I had…I'd be the Crystal Hime. The Queen of Hell. Then I would…..then I could have had the power to save Takumi. I could have…._

Her fists clenched. She buried her face into her arms and closed her eyes.

"Mai…."

She opened her eyes. "Takumi?"

There was a hollow, rasping laugh from the heart of the darkness, where the sunlight didn't reach. . A hot, strange wind began to sigh down the length of the nave, blowing Mai's sweaty hair out of her brow. The shadows seemed to be shifting, writhing—

"Mai!"

Following the voice, Mai looked down, and gasped.

Shattered glass from the windows glittered on the dusty floor, reflecting her pale, frightened face over and over like color-stained mirrors stretching out into eternity. She stared into the dark mirrors, and they seemed to pull her in, the darkness oozing into her mind—

Whirling, spinning, falling falling falling into the heart of darkness mirrors whirling and spinning and falling, falling, all of them reflecting her face and the words inscribed in fire--__

MAI, MAI, MAI, the roaring words howled in her mind, searing in their brilliance. _ FOOLISH LITTLE PRINCESS MAI MAI MAI YOU ARE YOU ARE YOU ARE_

The fire swooped and whirled like a dervish in her mind, slashing and searing.__

YOU ARE ALONE YOU ARE ALONE YOU ARE UNNEEDED YOU ARE POWERLESS IS THAT RIGHT MAI MAI MAI ALL THE TIME SMILE AND NOD YES LIKE A GOOD LITTLE PRINCESS

The walls of the ballroom groaned and sagged, melting like wax and closing in on her as the floor creaked and rippled. Boards popped up, splintering and crunching and uncovering the loam that lay buried within. The girl screamed and stumbled backwards.__

BUT I KNOW YOU MAI I KNOW YOU AND I LOVE YOU MAI MAI MAI WITH ME YOU ARE NOT ALONE WE WILL DANCE FOR FOR FOR THE WORLD _YOU ARE MAI HIME MY PRINCESS MY ONLY MY MAI LITTLE HIME_  
_  
_Now the words seemed to _scream_ across the mirrors and the darkness and the shattered glass. __

BECOME THE QUEEN MAI HIME BURN THE WORLD FOR ITS CRUELTY

The final phrase howled in Mai's mind's eye. The fire flared and the darkness shattered with a clean snapping, crackling noise. A blast of fire billowed through the broken windows, filling the darkness with light as sunlight roared through the enclosed space. Mai had the vague impression of searing wings of boiling light, and then…and then—__

(Kagutsuchi?)

And then the light faded and the darkness rushed back with a gleeful roar. _  
_


	4. Garden of Ashes

A/N: Thank you so much for all the positive responses. Yes, I'm taking some time to set up, (sexual tension is fun) but this is where the ball really gets rolling. I haven't been able to focus on Midori's character as much as I liked, but the bar scene next chapter should make up for that.

•

Shizuru Fujino stared blankly at the phone cradled in her hand, altogether at a loss about what to do. Hang up, or pick up? She felt the car's engine turn over and idly noted in the back of her mind that Midori had moved the car into the highway, and was driving. That was a relief, at least.

The phone chirped again, gently reminding her that Natsuki was waiting for her to pick up. But Shizuru had completely blanked out, and she didn't know whether to pick up or let it go to voice mail.

Once more, the phone chirped, and was it Shizuru's imagination or did the phone sound more insistent? Mentally shaking herself, Shizuru flipped the phone open and brought it to her ear. "Fujino Shizuru speaking."

"Shizuru! I was beginning to think you wouldn't pick up." Natsuki's voice echoed briskly into her ear. That voice, so low and melodic.

Shizuru rubbed the bridge of her nose with a slender finger. _I almost didn't._"Natsuki, how good it is to hear your voice. But so early in the morning? I'm astonished—you usually don't rise from the grave until past noon during the holidays." She chuckled weakly.

"I just wanted to talk to you," Natsuki responded softlty, utterly disregarding her gentle jibe. How things had changed—once upon a time, Natsuki would have rosen to her affectionate taunting, would have responded loudly and indignantly. But no, the girl had become a far calmer, more mature woman now.

Shizuru raised her eyebrow. "Talk to me? Is something the matter? The spring break has just started, you should be out frolicking around and enjoying yourself."

An ungraceful snort sounded from the phone. "Me, frolicking? Right, and Mikoto'll go on hunger strike while we're at it. No, I'm fine as I am. Studying until my brain bleeds, though. Sakomizu's really putting me through the wringer, so I don't have to repeat the year." There was a brief pause. Then: "That fat bastard."

But her tone was unmistakably affectionate.

Shizuru tilted her head, glancing at Midori and mouthing '_It's Natsuki.'_. "Then you should be studying right now, no?" She said it plainly, without any affected joviality. She really didn't want to be having this conversation right now, not with Natsuki, not if all the other girl wanted to do was shoot the bull.

Natsuki seemed to sense her tone. "We haven't really talked since the….well, you know. We've been kind of distant, and we haven't really talked. I don't get that. I mean, obviously, you're my most important person. And I'm yours, as well."

Shizuru's breath hitched in her throat. Natsuki was blunt, as always. Always cut to the chase. That was one of the things about her Shizuru had loved, but right now, it was too much, too sudden. "Uh, well—"

Natsuki interrupted her again, her words tumbling out in a rush. She sounded slightly hysterical. "Shizuru, _please_….I know this is killing you, this has to be. I'm sorry, but…can you just bear with me? There's so much I don't know, so much I have to figure out. It's all so confusing—and I just woke up, I haven't been sleeping well. I've been having dreams."

Shizuru's heartbeat sped up. _No, Shizuru, don't go there, don't think about it—_"What sort of dreams, Natsuki?" Her voice was barely audible. _Nightmares of me, I imagine._

"Um, uh, er…" Natsuki stammered incoherently. Shizuru had never heard her sound so embarrassed or flustered. "Actually…uh, could we talk about this face-to-face? I'd rather not have this conversation over the phone…it's sort of really personal."

"Have you been having dreams about me?" Shizuru tried to maintain a light tone, but it was difficult. But she needed to know whether Natsuki was having nightmares, the same kind Shizuru was having, where she woke up in cold sweats. Why else would Natsuki possibly be up at the crack of dawn?

Natsuki's reaction was wholly unexpected. Sputtering, the younger woman muttered incoherently, and Shizuru could practically hear her blushing, if such a thing was possible. _Why would she be reacting like that? It's almost as if—_

Shizuru's eyes widened in realization. _Oh. OH. _

_No way. There's no way she would possibly…_

"Natsuki?" Shizuru cut through the other woman's flustered babble. "Are…" She swallowed, her throat clicking audibly. "Are you having sexual dreams about—no, of….of us?"

The response was a stunned silence, which only confirmed Shizuru's disbelieving suspicions.

"Natsuki—" Shizuru began, but she was interrupted.

"I don't know what it means!" Natsuki said, her voice slightly shrill. "I-I've never had dreams like this before! I'm sorry! I didn't want to bother you—um, I'll call you back later, okay? I'd really like to, uh, see you."

Before the dumbstruck Shizuru could explain to Natsuki that she wasn't at Fuuka, the other woman had already hung up.

Numbly, Shizuru snapped her phone shut and slowly looked around to Midori. Midori looked back quizzically; she had only heard Shizuru's side of the conversation, and the words _sexual dreams _had caught her ear, naturally.

A big mischievous grin broke across Midori's face. "She _is,_ isn't she? Her and you! Naughty dreams! Bow chicka bow wow!"

Suddenly, she honked the car horn several times, leaned out of the window and hollered, "GET OUT OF THE WAY YOU SLOW DUMBFUCK!"

The car screeched and caromed around the lanes several times, barely avoiding a near-fatal collision multiple times. Midori had the terrifying precision timing of a suicidal watchmaker, and she was the terror of the highways.

A memory surfaced in Shizuru's mind-eye—she had ridden like this once with Midori driving and Youko shotgun, Reito and herself in the backseat. They'd been careening around the tightly curved roads hugging the cliffs of Fuuka, when suddenly Mai, Mikoto, and Natsuki appeared in the headlights, standing on the roadside.

Natsuki, clad in only a bikini, had contorted herself into a ridiculously exaggerated sexy hitch-hiker's pose, and had it not been for Shizuru's iron self-control, she would have blown a vessel in her brain somewhere.

She'd been able to graciously stifle her giggling, whereas Reito was far less visibly composed. Midori and Youko had hooted about it the whole ride back, and poor Natsuki, squeezed onto Shizuru's lap due to lack of room, had been blushing so furiously that it seemed as if steam would whistle out of her ears at any moment. Surely this girl had to be the most sexually repressed, innocent creature that ever walked the earth.

Shizuru could not recall a happier moment.

Slowly returning to reality, Shizuru let her head thump back onto her headrest, gazing blankly up at the ceiling.

_Now what?_

"Yo Shizuru." She glanced back, and Midori winked at her. "Don't worry about it, we don't need to turn around if you don't want to. No pressure."

Shizuru smiled warmly at the older woman. "I feel guilty for asking, but perhaps we could stop for drinks later? My treat. I don't normally drink, but I think I've merited it."

Midori clapped Shizuru across the back, laughing. "I never say no to that sort of thing, do I? We'll have some fun tonight, you and I. It'll take your mind off your troubles, I guarantee you that!"

•

_Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot…_Natsuki mentally chanted to herself as she stalked across the grassy lawns of Fuuka Academy. She had hung up like a coward, and then spent the next few minutes staring dumbly at the phone. Damn Shizuru and her quick insight. At least they would both have time to digest this for a while….but what then? What would happen?

The thoughts chased each other round in Natsuki's mind, like a dog chasing its tail. So lost was she in her thoughts, she nearly didn't hear the distant, muffled explosion. Nearly. Jolted out of her reverie, Natsuki looked up and across the treetops. A wispy plume of smoke was rising into the early morning sky.

She instantly knew where it was coming from—the church.

_(their church)_

Natsuki broke into a sprint.

•

Mai Tokiha cracked one eye open, and groaned. Her brain felt like an overly ripe fruit, ready to burst at the slightest provocation.

She tried to prop herself up, but her arms buckled and she collapsed back into the ground, sending up a small puffing of ash.

_Ash?_

Mai tilted her eyes to the left, too weak to turn her head. The grass all around her had been utterly charred and blackened, still smouldering with small fires here and there. Scorched earth. The tableau was hideously familiar, and Mai felt a sharp burning in her chest, on her right breast.

"Kagutsuchi…" Mai whispered, her fingers unconsciously curling inwards.

"_Mai!"_

Mai flinched and screamed slightly as a hot pain seared through her bones. The worried face of Natsuki swam into her vision.

Mai groaned as cool fingers touched her neck, brushing her pulse.

"Uhhh…"

Her eyelids fluttered, eyes darting around.

"Shhhhhh, Mai, shhhhh, it'll be all right. I'll carry you back to your room."

Voices in the haze.

Gentle hands picked her up effortlessly and carried her away, away from the ash and the burning cinders. She felt the cool, taut fabric of Natsuki's shirt against her cheek. The hands bore her away, and as her eyelids slid closed, the darkness gently closed in: many tiny, blurry spots expanding around the edges of her vision. They faded, and then she was spiraling down, down, down….

For a long time, there was nothing but velvety darkness, soft touches, indistinct whispering. A slight swaying, bumping. A distant voice echoed in her mind.

_mai hime, queen of hell, burn the world…_

_ • _


	5. The Serpent and the Lance

**A/N: **I am so, so sorry about the long absence. Spring vacation, then a week-long internet outage in the dorms, then writer's block. But I am BACK! :D I sincerely hope no one will be offended by this chapter.

Shizuru Fujino was staggeringly drunk.

No one would have been able to tell, except her eyes had a glazed quality to them. One of her shoes had gone missing, although she wasn't quite sure how that had happened.

It wasn't the first time she had gotten drunk, of course, but she hadn't ever been _this_ drunk. That was probably due to Midori, who insisted on endlessly pouring them drink after drink.

She had incredibly enough, managed to chug down the equivalent of a full bottle of sake. She hadn't meant to do that, of course. She had simply been staring into her empty glass, and then accepted another shot from Midori. And another. And so on and on. At the moment, she was feeling as though someone had slugged her brains out with a huge golden sugar cube wrapped in barbed wire.

Few people knew this, but Shizuru had amazingly strong tolerance to alcohol, although Midori had completely and utterly beaten her in that respect, and now she was reeling from the sake's effect. Next to her, Midori was already long gone, blathering on about something or other.

Midori slammed down her glass angrily, and sake sloshed out. "You know what really infuriates me? People who don't know what they want, people who waver and dither about."

Shizuru was about to answer, but Midori continued blithely on with her furious tirade.

"It's absolutely ridiculous—there are some things you just have to be absolute on. There shouldn't be any question—like friendship, or justice. That was what our Childs were all about, you know? My Gakutenou—he was manifest justice. He was like the lance of Odin, you know, Gungnir—flew straight and true into the face of injustice and evil. Each Hime had a quality like that about themselves as well, you know? That may have to do with us being Himes, inher-her….wha , wha, inherently. Yeah. I mean, Nao had her cunning and ruthlessness, Yukino was really smart and strategic, the nun had her faith, Mai had her compassion. What about you, Shizuru?"

Shizuru stared at the surface of the counter, contemplating it raptly. "I don't think I have any redeeming qualities."

"Bull. Natsuki just admitted she was dreaming about you in _that_ way, wasn't she?" Midori flapped her hand lazily.

"That's what I don't understand. " Shizuru mumbled, all of her attention focused raptly on the bar counter which seemed to be rising up towards her rapidly. "She rejected me. She kissed me, yes, but then she rejected me. Said she couldn't love me the way I wanted her to."

She bumped her nose against the counter and glared at it balefully. "Ow."

Midori shook her head, draining the last of her sake. "I don't think so. She was really freaked out. I mean, from what you told me—she said she needed to talk to you. There's probably more to it than that. You guys were special, you know."

Shizuru's head shot up. "What do you mean?"

"You two were both Himes, and you died together willingly. All of the other Himes, their most important person weren't also a Hime. But you guys had each other—you two fought for each other, even if she didn't realize that at first. But in the end, she went to you."

"To kill me," Shizuru mumbled. "She had every reason to."

Midori shook her head impatiently. "Oh, don't be thick-headed. Sure, you did some bad shit. I realize that's a major understatement, considering your body count, but you aren't the only one whose hands are stained. Yukariko's deceptions, Mikoto's actions, Nao's attempted kidnapping of Mai's younger brother and what she did to Natsuki, not to mention Shiho trying to murder Mai and all. Hell, even Yukino admitted to me that she tried to off Mai behind her back. None of us are innocent."

Shizuru slammed her glass down decisively, sloshing beer everywhere. "You know what I think?"

Midori eyed her askance. "What?"

"I think….I'm going to throw up. Please excuse me." With an abrupt clatter, Shizuru stood up and stumbled towards the door. She tottered out into the bitingly cold night, Midori following her.

Just as Midori reached the younger girl, Shizuru bent over, clutching at her stomach and moaning in pain.

Darkness hovered at the edges of the parking lot, and the blurred scenery that Shizuru saw through tear-filled eyes suddenly seemed alien and sickening at the same time. The warm glow of the bar's interior was a stark contrast against the cold bluish-silver moonlight against the jagged shadows of the cars parked nearby.

Shizuru closed her eyes, trying to clear her head and maintain some semblance of control over herself before she embarrassed herself in front of Midori.

Midori knelt next to Shizuru, rubbing her back and murmuring soft noises. "Shizuru, I'm sorry. Drinking wasn't probably a good idea—"

Shizuru shook her head violently. "No. I'm sorry, Midori. I'm just not…used to this. Forgive me." She smiled weakly.

Midori leaned in close, her nose nearly brushing Shizuru's own. "I have something that may cheer you up a little," she whispered in a low voice.

Shizuru blinked slowly as Midori lifted a plastic baggie, dangling it. It was filled with what looked like finely shredded green fragments.

"God's gift to mankind," Midori intoned dramatically. "Weed."

•

Mai slowly opened her eyes slightly. Her head was still throbbing steadily, but it was far gentler now. She shifted slightly, and heard water sloshing.

Wait. Water?

Mai's eyes shot open fully, and she jerked. She was in the bathtub, nude. Panicking slightly, she looked over. Her clothes were folded in a neat pile nearby.

With a sigh, Mai sank back into the warm water, inhaling in the steam. The door opened quietly, but she didn't hear it.

"Mai?"

With a small scream, Mai jerked, water splashing over the edges. Natsuki threw her arms up against the onslaught of water, yelping. "Whoa, whoa! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Mai blushed slightly, although it could probably be partially attributed to the steam. "Were you…were you the one who put me here?"

Natsuki nodded, a little flustered. "I'm sorry. I realized I didn't have the key to your room so I brought you to mine and ran the bath.. I hope you didn't mind." Mai nodded.

"I closed my eyes," Natsuki added hastily. "I didn't look, I promise."

Mai chuckled slightly, waving her hand. "Don't worry….with Mikoto, I'm used to that sort of thing."

Natsuki smiled. "Yeah, I remember you bursting in while I was taking my bath to announce dinner was ready, that night before the end of the Carnival."

Mai laughed as she recalled the memory of Natsuki shrieking and covering herself up. "You were such a prude."

Natsuki shrugged uncomfortably, deciding to change the subject. "Is everything all right, though, Mai? When I found you in the church…the grass was burning, and you were conked out. What the hell happened?"

Mai's expression instantly closed up, all of the amusement slowly draining out of it, as though turning to stone. It was evident that the subject was a touchy one.

Natsuki moved to the bath and crouched next to Mai. They were very close in proximity now, despite Mai's nakedness. "Mai….look, maybe I shouldn't have asked that, I'm sorry. But after everything we went through, we've formed a bond. You were the first friend I made, after I met Shizuru…and it's unsettling, seeing you like this. I'm really concerned, and frankly it may be none of my business. But the fact is, you looked like death, and I was scared out of my mind when I saw you lying there. I'm just—"

Mai's face crumpled inwards. "He's in a coma, Natsuki."

She sobbed once, violently, a harsh gulping intake of air. Then she broke down, crying without reserve.

Completely floored, Natsuki had no idea how to comfort the other girl. She wasn't really experienced with this sort of thing. So she did the only thing she could think of—she leaned over and wrapped her arms around Mai's neck in an awkward, damp hug.

What she didn't expect was for Mai to suddenly pull her into the bath, clothes and all.

•

Shizuru looked upwards, blinking furiously. "Ara, I sense a disturbance in the Force."

Her eyes, already a natural wine-red, were now completely bloodshot. She smacked her dry mouth and raised her hands to the star-studded sky. "Do I look stoned?"

Midori's head lolled towards her, eyes equally bloodshot. Her grin seemed to be frozen onto her face. They were sitting on the hood of Midori's car, propped up against the windshield. "Uhhhh…..open your eyes."

"They are open."

"Oh."

"Hey, look, the stars are blinking at us in Morse code. Let's wave hello back."


	6. Baptism by Fire

**This is a chapter I personally enjoyed writing a lot, and I'm sure you will all see why. I know they may seem slightly out of character but I hope I've managed to pull off the character development thus far that it makes sense. ;**

**Echo of the Wind, you asked what the title meant. Generally, Apotheosis is the highest point in the development of something, a climax. I know that can be really vague, so I'll use an example--a Digimon (Agumon) reaching Mega level (Wargreymon). Or to be even more dorky, maybe the Star Child at the end of 2001: Space Odyssey could also be considered the apotheosis of human evolution. Those are the best examples I can think of...and I wanted it to apply to Shizuru and Mai's personal development. **

**And I'm so glad you all enjoyed "Ara, I sense a disturbance in the Force." Classic, indeed. XD**

Water went up Natsuki's nose as her face was crushed in between Mai's breasts, and she coughed violently. The situation was altogether very awkward, but at the moment all Natsuki could think was _Oh my freaking god my face her boobs boobs boobs AHHHHHHH….okay, get a grip, GET A GRIP she's crying…_

And indeed, she was. Natsuki could hear Mai's racking sobs in her ear and realized that Mai had buried her face into Natsuki's hair. Most of the bath water had splashed out when Mai pulled Natsuki in, but there was still some warm water swirling around them.

"Mai," Natsuki whispered, pushing herself up slightly. Mai's arms were wrapped around Natsuki's shoulders, but they slid down as Natsuki crawled up until she was face to face with Mai. Since Mai was naked, and Natsuki was practically straddling her it was kind of an awkward situation. However, Natsuki was gamely ignoring it. Now wasn't the time to become flustered.

"Mai, look….about your brother," Natsuki began, but Mai cut her off.

"Don't. I'm sorry. Just…it's all getting to be too much right now." Mai hiccupped slightly, gulping for air.

Natsuki's arms were becoming sore from holding herself up, so she gently lowered herself into Mai's body, ignoring the all too-pleasant sensation of their breasts melding together. "I know. You've always done a lot. Cooking lunches, looking after Mikoto, working part time jobs. You didn't ask for any of this."

Mai sighed, glad that Natsuki had given voice to the very complaints she had been afraid to say. "I love Mikoto, but…she can be such a handful, and then there's Tate…jesus, I sound so shallow right now, don't I? When my brother is…" She laughed bitterly. It was a harsh sound.

Natsuki rested her cheek on Mai's collarbone, eyes closed. The damp skin there was warm. "No, it doesn't. It's really fucked up. You'd have thought after the Carnival was over, things would get easier, but they didn't, not really."

Mai raised her arms, wrapping them around Natsuki's waist. "I don't even know what's happening to me right now." She sounded tired, worn out. Dangerously fragile, Natsuki thought. In the Carnival, Mai had shown a great deal of inner strength, despite massive emotional turmoil. But that eternally burning strength seemed to have faded.

Well, she was only human, after all.

"I have doubts," Mai whispered. Natsuki opened her eyes.

"Hmm?"

"About myself…and my relationships. Even though my brother is independent now…he has Akira, but Mikoto….I love her, I do…but I wish….well, I don't know. I wish she didn't need so much looking after. And then Tate…"

"Tate? What about that loser?" Natsuki mumbled, then winced as she remembered the nature of Mai's relationship to him. "Er, sorry…"

Mai laughed mirthlessly. "Sorry for what? He's constantly flip-flopping around...I thought we had established our feelings during the Carnival, but Shiho is always lurking around, and Tate always lets her. I don't even know what he wants from me at this point. It's so confusing, Natsuki."

"Thank god I don't have to have anything to do with men," Natsuki grinned, then blanched as she realized the implications of her words. _Shit!"_

Mai unconsciously began to rub up and down Natsuki's back. "So you and Shizuru..?"

Natsuki blushed a brilliant red as she remembered last night's dream. "No, no, we aren't like that—"

"But she likes you, doesn't she?" Mai said, nearly whispering. "Have you done anything?"

Natsuki groaned. She didn't really want to have to talk about this right now. "Are you trying to change the subject?"

Mai's arms tightened around Natsuki's slim waist. "Maybe."

Natsuki closed her eyes, leaning into Mai's body slightly. "You remember, that afternoon, when we were the only active HiMes left, aside from Mikoto? We walked around the school, talked a little. Then I left…because I had to take care of something."

"Yes, I do remember."

"I went to Shizuru, and we fought. Pretty much destroyed half the school buildings…then our fight carried over into the church. The one I found you in this morning."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Mai.

"She pretty much had me beat—dropped the bell on me—I thought I was going to die. But then she shattered the bell—she did it as easily as a snake would crush a mouse's skull—and pulled me to her. She held me. Then I kissed her."

Mai gasped, jerking under Natsuki. _"You_ kissed her?"

Natsuki blushed. "Yeah. I said some…stuff. I kind of rejected her, actually. In a nice way. Then I told Duran to fire on Kiyohime at point-blank. Kiyohime exploded and took out Duran with her, and we both died, still holding each other."

"Did she say anything in the end?" Mai gazed at Natsuki.

Natsuki nodded into Mai's neck. "'I am fulfilled.' That was the last thing she said before we died. Dissolved into green sparks. Whatever."

Mai closed her eyes. "So she was fulfilled, huh…but were you? Is she still?"

Natsuki shrugged. "She didn't expect to be resurrected, and neither did I. That kind of complicated things." There was pain in her voice. "And now I'm all confused about how I feel about her, even though I love her. I don't really understand that sort of thing."

Mai sighed. "That's because you never allowed yourself to. I remember that time on the beach, you nearly beat Takeda to a bloody pulp…do you remember what I said?"

Natsuki blushed. "God! Was it that obvious or are you just really perceptive? Never mind. I guess I really have a lot of things to talk to Shizuru about….maybe a re-examining of where I stand with her. Things can't continue like this right now."

Mai spoke, her voice raw. "Of course not."

Then she kissed Natsuki.

Natsuki's eyes shot open in shock, and her lips parted slightly. Mai surged up, lifting Natsuki with her and slamming her against the wall behind the bathtub, pinning her completely. Natsuki dimly felt Mai's hot tongue sliding along her lip, grazing the roof of her mouth.

Natsuki's mind had gone completely blank—system failure, blue screen of death. Mai was kissing her. Mai was kissing her, and not in a very chaste, only-friends way. Mai was kissing her in that searing way which

_(she wanted shizuru to kiss her)_

Oh. Oh. God. And she was kissing back. What was the matter with her? This had to stop. This was going to further complicate things, this wasn't the way things should be. But…it felt way too good. Natsuki sank into the kiss, forgetting herself. Her arms curled around Mai's waist and pulled the other girl to her. Through half-lidded eyes, Natsuki could see Mai, and was suddenly struck by the way the light hit her hair, turning it into copper fire. She could feel Mai's hands roaming all over her body, trailing along her curves.

Mai pulled away from the kiss slowly, their swollen lips sticking slightly. "Oh, god, fuck…"

"You aren't going to cry again, are you?" Natsuki chuckled uneasily, attempting to defuse the awkward situation.

Mai sagged against Natsuki. "I really fucked up, didn't I?"

Natsuki held her in an embrace. "No, we're still friends. I care about you, a lot. But, Mai…what, what does this mean, exactly?"

Mai buried her face in Natsuki's neck. "I don't know. I just needed to feel something. I can't get that closeness from Tate, and I don't really have anyone else, except, well…"

"So you're using me," Natsuki teased gently. "Don't worry about it. Honestly."

"Mmm. It felt…good." Now Mai was the one blushing. "I don't know what came over me. I don't do this normally. I feel half-mad."

Natsuki blinked. "You mean you haven't done…stuff with Tate yet?"

"Shiho…interferes. A lot." Mai sighed, frustrated. "I just wish Tate would make up his goddamn mind. I don't even understand why I like him like this these days…"

"Life doesn't necessarily make sense, and neither does love. Emotion, feelings, other people, they can really do a number on you." Natsuki said, rubbing her fingers through the hair at the nape of Mai's neck.

Mai blinked. "Wow, you sounded so wise just now."

Natsuki smacked her lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, even clabber-brained fools can think profound thoughts, too. Come on, let's go to bed. It's late and you look like hell, my friend."

Mai sniffled a little, and laughed lightly. "Would you mind if I crawled in under the sheets with you? I couldn't stand being alone right now."

Natsuki didn't say anything, but she nodded slowly.

•

Mai couldn't sleep. She stared blankly out into the shadowed corners of the room, her thoughts full of turmoil. She was under the covers, curled up in a tight fetal position. Natsuki was sprawled out next to her, chest rising and falling gently. For a while, Mai watched that gentle motion, her eyes tracing the fluid dips and curves of Natsuki's collarbone and jawline. In sleep, the hardened gunslinger was merely a young, fragile woman.

Mai sighed, and loosened her position a little. She needed some fresh air. Gently, she slid the covers off herself carefully so not as to wake the sleeping beauty, and stood up.

On a whim, Mai quickly bent over and kissed Natsuki gently, on the lips. Unlike before, this kiss was modest, but tender.

Natsuki stirred slightly, moaning quietly. Mai hurriedly backed away, and sluggishly moved towards the window. The curtains were open, and moonlight streamed through the glass, casting a silvery pool on the floor.

Mai opened the window and clambered outside on the fire escape. She'd done this before sometimes, as the fire escape led to the roof. The roof was a perfect place for stargazing, and Mai felt like losing herself into the celestial bodies for a while.

From the roof, the view was spectacular. As Mai swept her gaze around, something at the edge of the woods behind the dormitories caught her gaze. It was a white blur, small from her vantage point….

Mai squinted.

The clouds drifted apart, and the moonlight intensified. A flash of pink hair, intertwining legs, arms disappearing up schoolgirl blouses…

Mai's eyes slowly widened in horror.

Shiho and Tate. On the grass, writhing.

The moonlight faded. Mai bit her lip, hard. Unaware of the blood dripping down her chin, Mai gritted her teeth hard enough that they creaked audibly. A white-hot heat flared behind her eyes, burning through her retinas and searing through her temples. Her pupils shrank to pinpricks.

_Mai hime, queen of hell, burn the world_

A dull roar rose in her mind, drowning out everything. A flash of sharp pain on the swell of her right breast. The HiME mark flared, a ruined black stain against the creamy flesh.

Mai opened her mouth in an almost-feral snarl. The word rolled off her bloody lips, as familiar as a lover.

"Kagutsuchi."


	7. Thunderclap

**Okay, it seems people are a little unclear. This is a Shizuru/Natsuki story, with a little Mai-Natsuki on the side. You don't need to keep worrying about the Mai-Natsuki thing. For the anime-verse, I don't mind pairing Natsuki and Shizuru (yum) but I also like to expand into new things, so my next planned story is a solely Natsuki and Mai pairing, set in the Mangaverse. It seems to make more sense there, considering how much they _apparently_ 'loathe' each other. But still, I really do see the appeal in that pairing...I apologize if it bothers people, but as Thorn-on-a-Rose said, it's only fanfiction, right? **

**On to the storyyyyyy!  
**

On the side of a deserted highway, Midori's car was parked in a field. Midori and Shizuru had been lying on the hood to stargaze and attempt to decipher the stars' twinkling into Morse code (with more than a little help from their cannabis-addled state). But as time passed, the air had gradually gotten too cold, and so they'd relocated back into the car.

"You know, all this, what we've been doing, it doesn't really seem…." Shizuru trailed off as she lost her already-fragile train of thought for a few moments, but regained it again just as quickly. "Responsible. If I was seen, this would be setting an extremely bad example, being the Seitokaichou of Fuuka Gakuen."

She then turned to look at Midori, revealing a wide, ridiculous grin. "And look, my face's frozen up. I can't stop smiling. It's rather alarming, I must admit."

Midori sighed contentedly. "If no one sees you, you're not setting a bad example. You need to relax and unwind a little. If a flamingo falls in the woods, does it make a sound?"

Shizuru blinked thoughtfully. "I believe you meant 'tree.'"

Midori waved a hand lazily. "Tree, flamingo, same difference."

Shizuru sighed through her grin, resting her finger on her chin. "Do you think I'm running away from my problems?"

"No, you're not!" Midori answered, a little too hastily. Shizuru noticed this—despite being a little worse for the wear, she was still acutely perceptive. Her eyes narrowed.

"Midori…may I ask you something?"

"What?"

"There is no teaching job in the Chiba prefecture waiting for you, is there?"

Midori twitched violently, but feebly tried to cover it up. She pointed at the night sky through the windshield. "Look, it's Mars!"

"No, that's a plane." Shizuru replied calmly, not easily dissuaded.

There was an awkward silence. Moments ticked by. Then:

"Look, it's Mars!"

Shizuru chuckled quietly, eyes closing. "No, it's the same plane."

Midori sagged back into her seat. "Damn, you're perceptive. How did you figure it out?"

Shizuru elegantly folded her hands in her lap, her smile sphinx-like. "Well, there were a few clues. The fact that you were driving out at such an unreasonable time of the night when you found me—that had to be around two in the morning, at the latest. Perhaps a quarter past. That, and you were willing to delay for so long…with the bar, and this."

Midori nodded, resigned. "You're a sharp one. I suppose I owe you an explanation."

Shizuru traced circles on the dashboard, suddenly feeling somewhat awkward. "If it's personal business, you needn't concern yourself, you've already done a lot for me—"

Midori shook her head sheepishly. "No, it's….well. This is a little uncomfortable for me to say, but….I have a problem rather similar to yours. Your thing…with Natsuki."

Shizuru's eyes widened slightly in astonishment. "You do?"

Midori shifted in her seat. "The Most Important Person system. You know how I was telling everyone that my archaeology professor was my MIP?"

Shizuru nodded in recognition. "Yes, I recall the postcard you sent us. He looked like a handsome gentleman."

Midori chuckled self-consciously. "Yeah, well….I lied."

Shizuru bolted upright. "So—if he's not truly your MIP—then…" She cut off, eyes widening as realization struck her. "Surely not…the school nurse? Youko Sagisawa?"

Midori nodded wordlessly, a slightly pink tinge in her cheeks.

Shizuru's brows knitted in confusion. "But…she was still alive when your Child was defeated. I recall that Mai said Youko was the one nursing you after you were brought back. I remember her mentioning that, while she was explaining how she'd uncovered the nun's trickery."

Midori laughed bitterly. "If you lie about something long and hard enough, you'll start believing it's true yourself. I'd been lying about it through my teeth to Youko since our college days. I had her utterly convinced that I was madly in love with him. So for a time, my professor was my MIP, but….it was really Youko who I loved. It was always her."

Midori put her hands behind her head, exhaling noisily. "It's funny. She used to rag on me all the time about my supposed 'crush' on the professor and how weird it was, because he was an older man. And I was always leading her on, even doing the whole 'talk to my hand' routine to make it even more convincing."

Shizuru slid sideways, resting her head on Midori's shoulder. "So she doesn't know."

There was another sigh. "I'm a coward. I don't want to lose our friendship. But it's too difficult for me to be around her, especially after what happened in the Carnival."

"So you ran away, like I did. I find it rather ironic, the way we both ended up together. "

"Yeah, well, go figure."

Shizuru's hand found Midori's and squeezed. "Well, perhaps it's time for us to stop running away." Her voice was gentle, almost a whisper.

Midori hesitated, pain in her eyes. "I don't know. Besides, it's an ungodly hour to be talking about this. It can wait until the morning. Mind if I turn on the radio?"

Shizuru shrugged agreeably, and Midori took it as a yes. Reaching over, she activated the radio and fiddled with the knob, searching for a good station. Suddenly, heavy, roiling orchestral music swelled out of the speakers. Midori's eyes went wide, and she bolted up. "Oh, this song! I love this song. It's by a German composer. Wagner. Youko and I used to blast this at full volume all the time in our dorm."

She closed her eyes, savoring the raw, rolling thunder of the music. The German words were foreign to Shizuru's unlearned ears, but she listened along with Midori, transfixed.

_Oh Warfather on high,_

_I am calling you from the battlefield_

_And as I take my last breath_

_I call for the mightiest of miracles_

Shizuru's eyes slowly drooped shut, the crashing music carrying her far away, amid the swirling smoke and the stars.

_For none but the brave, be he king or a slave_

_With a pounding heart in his chest_

_Will be worthy to rise and with the Valkyries fly_

_And ride to the ancient Valhalla…_

•

The silvery light of the moonlight faded away. Mai bit her lip, hard. Blood ran down her chin, but she was unaware of it. There was nothing in her mind except for a dull roar that blotted away all coherent thought. Blood pounded in her ears, her heart thundering. Her entire body felt like a raw nerve ending, blazing with a heated rage that was much, much too painful to bear.

Mai's bloody lips peeled from her teeth in a feral snarl. A single name rolled off her tongue, baptized in a drop of blood.

"Kagutsuchi."

_Oh Warfather on high_

_Listen to my prayer_

_I lived my life by your rules _

_Oh let death cover me now_

An eldritch wind whipped up, wailing through the treetops and scattering leaves to the sky. There was a muffled _boom!_ as the entirety of the dormitory roof flickered ghostly blue, then burst into flame. A vast orange-blue blossom of fire unfurled its burning petals, and what followed was like watching the sun rise in a midnight sky.

_For none but the brave, be he king or a slave_

_With a pounding heart in his chest_

_Will be worthy to rise and with the Valkyries fly_

_And ride to Valhalla of old_

A column of fire shot up from the blossom, shooting out its roots to snake down the sides of the dormitory building. All of the windows shattered, glass exploding outward in a sparkling spray. Then the terrified screams followed.

_Valkyries, ride over the battlefield_

_I'm dying and glad to bleed_

_Ride your horses and come to me_

_I'm waiting for you to take my_

_soul, high in the sky to_

_Valhalla of old_

Like an ancient and terrible primeval god, Kagutsuchi rose majestically out of the roaring flames, hovering above the roof. His burning wings illuminated the night like the noontime sun.

Across from the building, on the field, Tate threw up his arm, shielding his eyes. Shiho cringed behind him, clutching at her undone blouse. Recognizing the monstrous Child, Tate was thunderstruck. In a blind panic, he scrambled up, eyes watering. "Shiho, are you all right?"

He abruptly trailed off as he saw an all-too-familiar figure standing on the arch of Kagutsuchi's massive neck. His heart sank, deep in his chest.

"That's Mai's dragon…" Tate whispered numbly. "Oh, god, she saw us."

Mai's gaze was frighteningly cold. Her lips moved almost indiscernibly.

_Burn._

Ever loyal, ever devoted, Kagutsuchi obeyed his HiME. The Obsidian Lord's sword was no longer impaled through his jaw; his boundless power was unchained. He opened his jaws, releasing a high-pitched blast of steam through his teeth.

_Cruelty, burn_

The twin _mitsu-tomoe_ on Kagutsuchi's back elevated, and began to spin, humming at a fever pitch. The hum gradually rose to a piercing shriek as power collected in the hollowed-out furnaces of Kagutsuchi's chest.

Tate flung an arm over Shiho in a feeble defensive attempt. He had seen Kagutsuchi's power—this was the end. He closed his eyes, too afraid to look death in the eye.

"What the_ FUCK _are you _doing?" _

A dark shadow fell across the lawn as Natsuki ran across the grass, wild-eyed. She stopped and spun around, craning her neck upwards, yelling hoarsely up at the skies.

"What is this? What the hell, Mai? What—"

"Natsuki, _NO!"_ Mai screamed. But it was too late— Kagutsuchi was beyond the point of no return.

There was a deafening roar, followed by a torrential flash of howling white light.

•

Shizuru flew awake, screaming. Midori leapt up and slammed a hand across Shizuru's mouth, choking off her cry.

"I know," Midori whispered. "I felt it too. My HiME mark…it burns."

Shizuru clutched at her left side. The mark seared on her ribcage, throbbing. There was a silent, wordless understanding as they looked at each other.

"The only source of our power is the HiME Star," Midori whispered. "And the only one who could willfully tap into that power would be the last victorious HiME of the Carnival. So…"

"We need to turn the car around—_now_." Shizuru's voice was steel wrapped in velvet.

Midori nodded. There was no time for questions. No time to think. No time to falter.

But the car? There were better options to be had.

A crooked grin spread across Midori's face. "Honey, I've got something that's a _hell _of a lot faster than this old shit-heap of a car."


	8. Waltz of the Tempest

**A quick note: **_**zenryoku hicchuu tokkan**_** means "all-out great power bulls-eye battlecry charge". It was one of Midori's (amusingly titled) attacks from the manga. Yes, Midori kicks ass. 3**

**I'm also perfectly aware that no unprotected human being can survive being accelerated to the speed of sound, even for a few moments. But remember this is Mai-Hime, where girls can fly into outer space and be fine. So please allow me the creative liberty.**

The closer one is to death….suddenly, each moment seems so precious, shining sands slipping through our fingers. Each moment, every second, every breath every heartbeat….

…equals a drop of eternity.

Time is infinite.

_Mai, on the roof. Stock still, illuminated in the moonlight. Then the moonlight is gone, fading….but the sight of Tate and Shiho remain seared in her mind's eye. She begins to shudder, to shake violently._

_The HiME mark flashes on her right breast, ruined black on the creamy flesh._

Shizuru lunged out of sleep, screaming, the HiME mark burning on her rib. Midori held her back, restraining her. "I know. I felt it too."

"Turn the car around—_now." _Shizuru hissed, eyes flashing bloody red in the darkness.

_A high-pitched droning in Mai's mind. The roar of fury through her veins. She bites her lip, hard._

"Honey, I've got something that's a hell of a lot faster than this old shit-heap of a car."

The car door slammed open, and Midori leapt out. She hit the ground running.

Shizuru was alongside, sprinting towards her. Midori grabbed the younger woman by the waist, pulling Shizuru tightly to herself. She flung out her other hand, and closed her eyes.

_Please, God, let this work…_

There was an achingly familiar screech, and a beautiful flash of light. The double-bladed labrys materialized in Midori's hand in a whir of spinning blades, falling into her palm smoothly. Midori tightened her grip on Shizuru's waist, slamming the blade of her labrys into the ground as she ran. It tore up a furrow, roaring through the earth.

"Roar, Fangs of steel! _GAKUTENOU!"_

_"Kagutsuchi."_

_A single drop of blood falls from Mai's lip, glistening in the dark. There is a roar—-the wind wailing—_

Midori leapt high into the sky, carrying Shizuru with her. The shining tip of a lance broke through the furrowed earth, surging into the world amid a hum of whirling photons. With a drawn-out howl, Gakutenou emerged, surging into the air and expertly catching the two humans on his back.

Midori sliced her labrys through the air in a scything motion, striking one of her signature dramatic poses. _**"ZENRYOKU **__**HICCHUU TOKKAN!"**_

With a high-pitched drone, Gakutenou's hind legs transformed, forming Greek-style chariot wheels. They swung outwards, blazing with roaring blue-white jets and sparks.

"DOWN! _And hold your nose!"_ Midori yelled. Shizuru hunkered down on her belly, just barely managing to grab her nostrils before—

BANG

Shizuru was crushed against Gakutenou's back by centrifugal force as the Child shot forwards, blazing through the air like a bullet.

There was a sonic boom, and a visible ring of sound-waves rippled out behind the speeding Gakutenou, trailing behind him in a series of expanding, ghostly circles.

"We've broken the sound barrier," Midori whispered through gritted teeth. Her bones were vibrating, and it was hard to speak.

Shizuru struggled to open her mouth, but blood was dribbling out of her nose. Midori tapped her fist against Gakutenou's shoulder blades, signaling the Child. There was a slight hum, and a small, transparent barrier enveloped them, eradicating the outside pressure. The younger woman closed her eyes in thanks, unable to speak. Midori reached out and grasped her hand.

"You worry too much, such is the privilege of youth. Mai's Child may be the strongest, but nothing in the world can outrun Gakutenou. Not even Death itself."

Shizuru nodded, her cheek pressed to the cool steel of Gakutenou's back.

Natsuki, please be all right. I didn't want to return so soon, but…

A sense of dread had fallen upon her, dark and cloying.

•

Officer Fujihara really did not want to be here. A rookie with the highway patrol , he had been relegated to a dull, mind-numbing task: sitting by the roadside, checking each passing car's speed with a radar gun.

A trip to a pliers-happy dentist had to be more fun than this.

A car passed by, crawling quietly in the dim pre-sunrise haze. Yawning, Officer Fujihara checked the meter. 30 miles per hour. Very tame.

With a sigh, he slouched in the seat of his patrol car, longing for something to happen. Maybe an exciting car chase, like in the movies. Something to break this godforsaken monotony.

A big red blur roared past, tearing up the asphalt. A few seconds later, it was followed by an extremely loud concussive blast. Officer Fujihara's hat blew off, followed by his shirt. The buttons pinged as they bounced off his windshield.

Then the radar gun exploded.

Officer Fujihara sank back into his seat, blinking furiously amid the smoke hissing from his ruined gadget. _I should have gone into accounting,_ he thought gloomily.

•

Natsuki dimly heard Mai scream _"Natsuki, NO!"_ before the world exploded in a flash of roaring light. She threw up her arms futilely, her shadow stretching long and dark behind her.

_I never knew Mai had such terrible power._

She closed her eyes, unafraid. This wasn't the first time she would die, nor even the second.

She had died when the car crashed through the iron railing, plunging into the deep, cold waters of the ocean.

And she had died again, not so long ago, enfolded in warm arms, feeling the smoke and destruction roar around her, green sparks swirling in the dust.

Now she would die again, in fire and light. She thought of Shizuru, her beguiling eyes, her light hair. Her sphinx-smile.

_Shizuru, be strong._

Somewhere far away, a wolf howled.

The blast tore into her, and her shadow was blotted out, fading into the onslaught of Kagutsuchi's holocaust.

•

Shizuru jerked, her fingers twitching.

"Hurry." Her voice betrayed her desperation.

Midori smiled gently. "We're already there."

The grounds of Fuuka unfolded beneath them in a blur, and Shizuru saw the familiar buildings in flashes of moonlight and shadows.

Suddenly, a massive burst of flame blossomed, a short distance away, swallowing up the shadows in a roar of merciless light.

Sudden pain flared on her ribcage. The HiME mark blazed, visible even through her clothes. Shizuru screamed.

_The pain of her most important person…_

"Natsuki, _NO!"_

•

Gakutenou's engines roared as he braked, swooping across the massive lawn. Frightened faces peeked out through the windows of the dormitories ranged around the courtyard, watching the spectacle.

The lawn was utterly gone. Only ash remained, in a massive blackened gouge that reached all the way into the forest. Tate's hands shook uncontrollably, his breath coming in large, gulping gasps. Ash swirled around him, falling like snow.

Beside him, Shiho sobbed fitfully, but Tate was barely aware of her.

Ash billowed and swirled in a dreamy haze as Gakutenou descended to earth, the blue-white of his engines blurry.

Shizuru heard someone screaming distantly, unaware that it was her who was screaming. She leapt off Gakutenou's back before he was fully grounded, stumbling and lurching through the ash and smoke. She walked slowly with her hands held out, her face slack, her eyes wide. She moved like one in a dream.

"Natsuki….Natsuki…." She tripped and fell, coughing on the bitter ash.

"Shizuru, wait…" Midori called, but Shizuru ignored her. She lifted herself up slowly and painfully, the ash turning her hair grey.

Finally, she reached the edge of the gouge. There, the dirt was completely blasted—the extreme heat had turned the minerals inside the soil to glass. The carved furrow glistened slickly, like a wound in the earth. It was still hot to the touch, and small fires still burned around the perimeter.

Shizuru quickly stooped and grabbed the edge of the gouge, twisting her legs over and lowering herself. It burned to the touch. Her fingers slipped and she fell, sliding down the glassy surface. It curved and leveled out at the bottom, and she tumbled clumsily.

There was a small, hushed gasp from several of the many faces crowding the windows of the dormitories as they watched Shizuru Fujino's painfully clumsy, heartbreaking descent. None of the students had ever seen their graceful, stately Kaichou appear so pitiful, so broken. It was sickening, horrifying.

But no one moved to help her. Fear kept them tightly rooted to the spot.

A hush had fallen over everything.

Mai stood on her Child, her eyes glassy. She had withdrawn deep into herself, detached from the world. She was adrift.

The ash swirled gently.

Shizuru slowly made her way to the deepest part, at the center. Steam billowed thickly, obscuring her vision. Within the steam, Natsuki lay, sprawled out rigidly. Her fingers lay by her side, slightly curled. Her expression was frozen in a mask of slight surprise.

Shizuru slowly knelt by the prone form, shivering. It was cold, deathly cold of all a sudden, despite the massive heat rising from the impact crater. The ground under her knees was unpleasantly slippery.

She reached out, and a strangled sob rose in her throat. Natsuki's skin was cold to the touch.

Already? Shizuru thought distantly. She clutched Natsuki's body to her chest, senselessly trying to warm her, to revive her somehow.

The sobs came more freely, but Shizuru still tried, a pathetic effort to hold her head up high. It was no one's fault but her own, for she had left. She'd packed up and left without a second glance back, even though she had promised, in her long-ago madness, to protect Natsuki, to be by her side forever, because she loved Natsuki, loved her senselessly.

With trembling fingers, Shizuru stroked Natsuki's cold cheek and gasped when it split under her fingers, fissuring into a spiderweb of fine cracks.

"What--?" Shizuru choked out as Natsuki's face shattered, fragments and shards tumbling off in her hands. It was cold, slippery, and suddenly it made sense.

Ice.

That was why it was so cold, illogically so. The heat should have been too hot for anyone to bear, and yet the air was cold, the ground frozen and slippery.

"Duran," Shizuru whispered. In the moment the fire had engulfed Natsuki, her Child had protected her, despite the voiding of their compact at the end of the Carnival. The fierce loyalty of the ancient mountain god was boundless, cloaking Natsuki's flesh in a layer of ice just as the blast tore into her. Hence, the steam.

Frantically, Shizuru clawed at Natsuki's face, scraping away the remains of the ice. Under the ice, Natsuki's flesh was pale, glittering like diamond dust. She looked absurdly like a princess sleeping in a glass coffin.

Shizuru attacked Natsuki's chest, pummeling the frozen girl with her fists, listening to the ice splinter and shatter. She pressed her ear to Natsuki's chest, listening for a heartbeat. It was very faint, but it was there.

Shizuru's heart soared, and relief roared through her, flushing her cheeks and forcing tears to her eyes. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she whispered fervently.

Then slightly louder: "Midori, Natsuki still has a pulse!"

Midori's eyes widened. "What? What did you say?"

Shizuru's response was drowned out by Kagutsuchi's roar. Mai had finally recovered from her trancelike stupor.

"Tate!" She snarled, eyes narrowing. The cowering little worm was still alive. Alive!

Kagutsuchi spread his wings, and leapt into the air, all six of his eyes glaring hatefully at the object of Mai's despair. He opened his mouth, his throat glowing with the fires churning in his belly.

"Not on my watch, kiddo." Midori whipped her labrys around, and Gakutenou leapt into the sky.

The two Childs slammed mid-air with a deafening shriek.

**TBC**


	9. Tears of the Sun

**This one goes out to all of you who so desperately wanted to see Tate suffer. I feel your pain! So enjoy this chapter in all of its knuckle-bashing glory. Sorry for laying the melodrama on a bit thick, but hey, who doesn't love a little camp now and every then? **

Indiana Jones had nothing on Midori Sugiura.

Enterprising archaeologist and history teacher, and self-titled HiME Sentai in the name of friendship, love, and justice, Midori Sugiura was a force of nature.

She'd dodged the natives' poison-coated spears in the Mayan ziggurats of South American, been shot at by rifle-wielding hostiles in the tombs of Egypt, and had evaded a fair number of gigantic rolling boulders and spiked booby traps (originality apparently wasn't a big concern of the ancients). Fear meant very little to her, although it was unclear if she was really brave or very stupid. Maybe both.

The point is, very little fazed Midori.

Except for the bloodcurdling look in Mai's eyes as she rushed towards Midori.

A certain memory resurfaced in Midori's mind at this point. The final cliff-top battle with Alyssa and Miyu.

_"Please…why are you doing this? Please….let's—_

•••

—stop this." Mai pleaded from atop Kagutsichi, hovering above the cliff.

The warning sirens began to scream in the distance.

"Looks like this match is settled," Alyssa Searrs smiled thinly. She curled tiny fingers around her black hair-ribbon and whipped it off, her hair fluttering outwards in a golden blaze of light.

The skies darkened, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Alyssa lifted her dainty hand, reaching towards the heavens. "Artemis, the Golden Lightning."

Mai' s stricken face fell with anguish as Midori and the rest of the HiMEs looked on in horrified silence. They were frozen with fear.

_She had always been so reluctant to use her power_, Midori thought. But there had been no fear in Mai's eyes, despite her tortured look.

Soundlessly, Kagutsuchi rose towards the skies, as defiant as his master. Midori watched her, helpless. No one spoke, until she broke it. "Mai-chan…" But her call was weak.

"What is she thinking?!" Natsuki exploded.

But no one made a move to stop her.

They watched Kagutsuchi thundering upwards, a burning arrow in the darkness. And although they could not see her, they imagined the savagely determined expression on Mai's face. It was all too easy to know how the HiME of Fire must have felt.

_"Who cares about the reasons or the determinations to fight! I just—"_

But she never finished that thought.

A deafening thunderclap, a brilliant bolt of light arcing from the heavens, then a shattering explosion. The earth shook and the wind howled, and Kagutsuchi plunged out of the skies, falling to earth in a rain of burning feathers and smoke.

And Midori's heart had sunk deeply into her chest.

_We have lost. _

The burning ball flashed, and swept out in a whirling disk of fire. And out of the fire, the deeply blackened and charred Kagutsuchi laboriously emerged, as though being birthed for a second time. Its burnt flesh dripping with soot and ichor, the Child settled into the air and burst into renewed life revealing a sleek, reconfigured body. A whoosh if displaced air, and Mai reappeared amid the whirling fires, glowing a faint red.

Kagutsuchi bellowed, triumphantly, steam rolling out of his jaws. The _mitsu-tomoe_ in his back spun, and the new anti-gravity engines screamed with swallowed light; they erupted into lift-off, boiling the ocean's surface—and then the Child was gone, and all that was left was a trail of billowing vapor.

Only one thought remained in Midori's mind as she stared upwards.

_We are insects compared to her. _

•••

Like back then, Mai had no reason to fight, but now she had the desire, the determination. This was what made her a thousand times more terrifying.

Even as Midori spurred her Child on, she knew she'd already lost.

Mai opened her mouth and _screamed,_ a purely animalistic cry. Around her ankles, the golden magatama-studded rings spun, and she erupted forwards, swinging a fist around, the wrist-ring whirling with intense heat. At the same time, Kagutsuchi rammed into Gakutenou.

The fire-charged fist slammed into Midori's solar plexus and she flew, rising into the air and then falling. As she fell through the air, Mai slammed into her again. She seemed to be everywhere, dealing a million lightning-quick boiling punches to Midori's abdomen, her chest, her jaw, her skull—everywhere. Brilliant pain bloomed throughout her bones, and blood rose in her throat, stinging and hot.

Midori slammed into the hard grass and rolled, barely conscious. As her vision blurred, she had the foresight to release Gakutenou. If Gakutenou died, so would Youko. The labrys in her open palm shimmered and then vanished.

The last thing she saw was Gakutenou fading into oblivion. She grinned widely, a bloody grin. " I win, Youko."

And then the darkness rushed in.

•••

Mai landed forcefully, the heat from her ankle-rings scorching the grass under her to ashes. She was barely aware of Midori, the other woman had been merely a mild nuisance.

All of her attention was upon Tate, who stood frozen among the trees at the lawn's edge. She stalked towards him, leaving behind burning footprints. A visibly red aura of fire was flickering around the edges of Mai's silhouette, blurring at the edges like a heat-mirage.

"_Tate,"_ she snarled.

Tate stared at her, too terrified to run. "Mai…why?"

"_Why? Why? Why?"_ Mai mimicked, mocking him. Her steps grew more focused, quicker, and then her curled fist leapt up. There was a resounding crack, and Tate staggered back, cradling his jaw.

"Stop it!" Shiho yelled, taking a step forward. "Leave Brother alone, or I'll—"

"Or you'll what?" Mai asked quietly. "Send your ugly crow out? I'll destroy it, and Tate will disappear."

She paused. "Not that I mind."

Kagutsuchi stood a short distance away, and his flames illuminated Mai from behind, darkening her silhouette. He spread his wings and roared, punctuating Mai's threat.

Shiho backed off, cowed beyond words.

With an easy grace, Mai strode over to Tate, and leapt, faster than the eye could follow. There was another echoing thud as her foot slammed into the side of Tate's head. With a muffled groan, he staggered and fell to the ground.

"Tate, Tate, _Tate," _Mai whispered, her voice thick with venom. "Tate, who stood around like a dithering idiot while Fuuka fell apart all around him, and it didn't occur to him to try and be a fucking _hero until the very end_, trying to save the day and protect me. _Me_? I don't need your protection, Tate_. I never did! _I saved the world, and how did it fucking repay me? By putting my brother into a _coma!"_

"But—I was just—" Tate struggled for words. "Mai, listen, I'm sorry about Taku—"

"_Don't say his name!" _Mai swiftly yanked Tate up to his feet, then dealt a savage punch to his ribs. He flew backwards, tumbling through the air.

"Apologies? Useless_,"_ Mai spat. "You're useless." Her rings glowed, and she surged forwards in a roar of spinning fire. "You're a bastard. Tate. When I met you—"

Each phrase was punctuated by the dull noise of blows raining against flesh.

"You were a supercilious asshole—"

_Thud._

"And you tried too hard to be so _beyond it all_—"

_Thud._

"Did you ever have to deal with the shit I did? Huh? Tate!"

With the final thud, Mai let Tate drop bodily to the ground. She crouched beside him and yanked him up by the collar. "Listen to me. And listen carefully. You need to grow some balls. Make a fucking _decision._ You always acted like it was such a nuisance when Shiho clung to you, didn't you? And I was fine with that. I tolerated that. But if it bothered you so much, why didn't you ever do anything about it? You led her on. You always did. And then you went and did the unforgivable. You turned around and did it to me. Even after all of the crap I dealt with in the Carnival. I was the heroine, and you the hero. It was supposed to be happily ever after. Well, I guess not. What the hell did I ever see in you? Look at you! Puling and _weak."_

Mai stood up, brushing her hands against her skirt as though she had touched something distasteful. She turned her head. "How about you, Shiho? Want some, too?"

•••

Shizuru shook Natsuki frantically. "Natsuki, can you hear me? Please, Natsuki."

Her fists slammed at Natsuki's chest, trying to warm it up, to revive the fallen girl. She was unaware of the tears pooling in her eyes. Why, why did this have to happen? Hadn't there been enough pain and suffering, already?

There was a muffled groan, and Natsuki stirred. "Ow. Goddamn!"

Shizuru gasped quietly, unprepared for the sudden pang that flared in her chest. It had been a long time since she'd been this close to the other girl, heard her voice. "Natsuki, thank God. I was—I was…" She trailed off, unable to speak.

Natsuki was quiet, contemplating her face thoughtfully. Her brilliant green eyes were painful to look at. "You're crying."

"Am I?" Shizuru said, startled. She touched a finger to her eye and found it wet.

Natsuki blinked her eyes hard, trying to collect her thoughts. They were sluggish, and she was having a difficult time staying on the same track. "I missed you."

Taken aback, Shizuru stared at her, lost for words. "I…um. I didn't mean to come back."

Natsuki grinned. "Couldn't help yourself, huh?"

Shizuru gently swatted at her. "Don't joke at a time like this."

"No," Natsuki said softly. "You're right. I thought I was going to die. You were the last thing on my mind as the fire hit me. And now here you are, looking at me. I though perhaps I _was_ dead, but my body hurts far too much for me to be." She smiled sardonically, but her eyes were soft.

Shizuru closed her eyes. "And I thought I was the strong one. So much for that."

Natsuki sighed. "I've been a real bitch to you, haven't I?"

"What?" Shizuru blurted, taken aback. "I don't see how—"

"I used you. I was always doing that. You became Kaichou just for my whims, and I took advantage of that without thinking. You offered me friendship, but I always took from you and never gave anything back. Little wonder you dealt with affairs during the Carnival the way you did." She closed her eyes. "That same rage has taken over Mai now. I saw the look in her eyes, right before the fireball hit me. The look in her eyes—" She broke off.

"Her eyes are like how mine looked back then." Shizuru murmured.

"The world has taken a lot from her, with little mercy." Natsuki closed her eyes. "She's in pain, Shizuru. She's drowning in it. You know how she feels, don't you? You're the only one who would understand her."

"I will not fight," Shizuru whispered vehemently. "I refuse. I can't leave you here alone."

Natsuki smiled at her sadly. "To live is to fight, Shizuru. That's how it has always been."

Shizuru leaned into her, warming the frozen girl with her body heat. "I know."

Their faces were close, too close.

"Pardon me." A new voice cut in. Shizuru sat up quickly, flustered. Yukino was standing at the crater's rim, looking down at them over her spectacles.

"You're not alone, Kaichou." Yukino said sternly as ambulance sirens began to wail in the distance. Youko was coming.

"Yukino, why are you here?" Shizuru almost stuttered, but caught herself. _As if my image really mattered anymore._

Yukino met Shizuru's eyes with her own. There was resoluteness in them, a quiet fire to her entire demeanor. Her posture was rigid and unflinching. It was both impressive and intimidating. "I will watch over Natsuki and protect her, until Youko arrives. Haruka and Reito are evacuating the students out of the dormitories. Shizuru…you can't stand idly by. It is irresponsible, and unbecoming of one with your stature. You are the only one here at present who has any chance of standing up to Mai."

Shizuru stood up. _Damn her, _she thought wryly. But it was without bitterness. She did have sins to atone for, after all.

"Thank you for reminding me, Yukino. But I cannot possibly—"

Yukino smiled. "As I said, you are not alone. I instructed Youko to bring Mikoto Minagi."

And suddenly, it struck Shizuru in a flash of insight.

_Shizuru Fujino. Mikoto Minagi. Aside from Mai, you two were the most fearsome and talented of the Ikusahime. Only you two can defeat her. Only you understand Mai's feelings, and only Mikoto has her love, as her most precious person. _

These were the unspoken words Yukino wove in between the lines.

Shizuru smiled back at the younger woman. Clever, clever little Yukino. Always the strategist. "Yukino, surely you'll make a wonderful Seitokaichou after I have gone."

To her pleasure, Yukino blushed.


	10. With a Whisper

**To clarify things: The reason some of the Childs have been able to be re-summoned is because Mai is the unofficial winner of the last Carnival. When she gave in to her rage as the 'Queen of Hell' (recall that's what Nagi referred to Mashiro as) the compacts of the Childs were partially un-voided. **

**I've noticed a decrease in quality of writing for the last couple of chapters, and I've worked to remedy that for this chapter. Please let me know what you think. Thank you for your continued enjoyment of this story!**

Shizuru Fujino closed her eyes, and straightened her back. She took deep, controlled breaths, inhaling through her nose and exhaling out through her mouth. The air was bitterly hot, and tasted of ash.

Anyone who understood the current situation would have realized that her façade of calm was only a veneer. The great Shizuru Fujino, reigning Seitokaichou of Fuuka Gakuen was—to put it bluntly—very, very intimidated.

Behind her, she could dimly hear Natsuki's protestations.

"I can't let Shizuru go face Mai alone! I need to go with her, I can talk to Mai too—"

And Yukino's forceful reply: "You are in no condition to fight, Natsuki. I'm responsible for your condition now—"

There was also the distant, piercing wail of the ambulance sirens, growing ever so slightly louder each second. The background babble faded away to a distant murmur as Shizuru turned inwards.

Shizuru needed to get into the zone again. The battle-madness. But it was difficult, far too difficult.

How had Midori done it? How had she summoned Gakutenou so easily, so effortlessly? Was it by sheer force of will?

Yes. That was it. Midori had courage in spades. Something that Shizuru was sorely lacking right now, and Midori was out of the running. Opposite the lawn, she could see how Kagutsuchi's talons were curled around Midori's prone form, protecting his master's spoils of war.

Although she would have never said it out loud, Shizuru desperately needed Midori, in a way. She was everything Shizuru was not—the total opposite. The irony was bitingly painful. They'd only spent a couple or so days together, and already Shizuru felt a closeness to the older woman, which was unprecedented for one of her personality.

Shizuru opened her eyes. It was useless to stand around, trying to over-think this. She needed to take the risk. Her right arm dangled loosely at her side, and she experimentally held it out, silently willing her Element to form. Before, it'd been so easy, so effortless, almost like a reflex.

Nothing happened.

_So much for that._ Shizuru sighed. Her will to fight was a pathetic shadow of what it had once been, and she couldn't even bear to try once more. The memories were far too much, far too close. The blood stained blade, the burning fires, the screams ringing in her ears. Nobody save her could see it, but her hands were stained red also. Her genocidal fury had ebbed and along with it, the desire to fight had faded.

A Child as fiercely prideful as Kiyohime would no longer wish to serve a weak master like herself, Shizuru mused. Perhaps it was for the best.

"Yukino, please watch over Natsuki," Shizuru said aloud, although she did not look at the younger girl.

She began to stride forward.

"Wait, Shizuru—Shizuru—what the hell are you doing?" Natsuki screamed from behind her. "You'll get yourself killed, Shizuru! You can't go alone! No, don't!"

Shizuru ignored her. Her pace sped up slightly.

"I promised myself I wouldn't apologize needlessly anymore," Shizuru murmured quietly without turning her head. She knew that the illusionary barriers of Yukino's insect-like Child were impenetrable to varying degrees of strength however Yukino desired them to be.

No matter how one looks at it, this is dire. And I'm happily walking towards death. Since when did I become so foolish?

But Shizuru was too proud to turn back.

And so she kept walking.

•

Natsuki saw Shizuru's retreating back, and made an attempt to lunge after her, but Yukino held her back. She was too weak to struggle, and it was maddening.

"I am sorry, Natsuki, but if I let you go, you'd be killed." Yukino reproached. "Mai can't discern friend from foe at this point."

"And Shizuru is different how? She can't even summon her Element!" Enraged, Natsuki turned around and tried to backhand her, but was swiftly deflected by one of Yukino's hovering mirrors.

"I have served under Shizuru for the past year," Yukino replied calmly. "Despite her actions during the Carnival, she is one of the strongest, most capable persons I have ever met in my lifetime. She was stronger than I ever was as a HiME. I was cowardly and weak, trying to attack Mai while her back was turned. Shizuru rose beyond that, and while she is no more innocent than I am, she has more—" At this point, Yukino broke off and smiled. "As Haruka would say….she has more guts."

Natsuki snorted angrily, and winced as pain stabbed through her temples. "She's alone. I need to be by her side.

Yukino looked away. "I understand, Natsuki. I really do. But right now, all we can do is watch. Please, try to trust me, I truly believe that Shizuru will succeed. Right now, she's the only one who truly understands how Mai is feeling and thinking right now, as you yourself said.

Natsuki turned away. There was nothing to be said, not anymore.

•

Youko Sagisawa swore quietly under her breath as she jerked the steering wheel around and saw the desolation of the dormitory lawns. "The hell? No one told me it was this bad."

The ambulance's wheels bumped and jerked across the ash-laden ground, traction faltering. Youko slammed the dashboard in frustration. "Come on, come on, come on!"

She had good reason to be frantic. When the emergency call from Yukino had come in, she'd been sleeping. Bleary-eyed, unprepared, and very confused, the school nurse hadn't reacted well when Midori's name was mentioned.

Bloody woman's gone and put herself in danger again. I'm going to kill her.

Close friends since college, Youko knew Midori better than anyone, knew all too well the enterprising archaeologist's alarming fecklessness and extraordinary capacity to put herself squarely in the path of danger.

Whatever this was, it wasn't going to be good.

Youko glanced sideways at the quivering bundle in the passenger seat. Mikoto Minagi had gathered herself up into a tightly wound ball, arms wrapped around her knees, shoulders hunched. She was trembling slightly.

It reminded Youko of starving, feral cats she saw roaming around the alleys of downtown Fuuka. The young girl was terrified. Every her on her body seemed to be bristling on end. Youko couldn't blame her, although she was unsure why Yukino had insisted the young girl be brought along.

"Everything's going to be okay, everything's gonna be okay," Youko muttered under her breath, although it was more to reassure herself.

Mikoto peered out, her golden eyes gleaming in the dim light. She shook her head abruptly.

"No. I can feel it. I can feel her. It hurts. It feels like being torn open. " She shivered. "Can't you feel it? He's crying."

"Who?" Youko said distractedly as she pressed the gas pedal harder. The ambulance groaned as it sped up.

Mikoto stared at her solemnly. " Kagutsuchi is crying."

Youko barely had time to puzzle out the young girl's cryptic statement before an extremely loud roar split the air, and then a blast of intense heat engulfed the ambulance.

"What the—" Youko slammed on the brakes, and the ambulance rolled over, crashing and skidding across the ash in a screech of tortured metal.

•

Mai's back was turned towards Shizuru as she approached. Further down, in front of Mai, Shizuru could see a crumpled form. It looked like Tate. Everything was cast in shadows, so it was hard to tell. Above her, Kagutsuchi towered, motionless. Everything was eerily quiet, until:

"How about, you, Shiho? Want some too?"

Shizuru paused, taken aback. From beyond the trees, there was a shuffling noise, and then Shizuru saw Shiho. Her distinctly pink pair was unmistakable.

Shiho was crying, in great gulping gasps of air. "Please….don't come any closer!"

Then Mai laughed.

Shizuru nearly flinched. It was a shocking, ugly noise. But it was a familiar one.

"Run, run, run as far as your little feet can carry you, little girl. Perhaps I'll let you live."

There was a splintering, snapping of twigs and then Shiho stumbled out of the forest, her face blotched with tears. Her blouse was partly unbuttoned.

_Ah,_ Shizuru thought. _That explains it. _"Shiho?"

Shiho saw her, and lurched towards her. "Please--help me, please. She's insane."

Ignoring the hysterical girl, Shizuru called out softly. "Mai? Mai Tokiha?"

Mai turned her head, so that the moonlight caught it in profile, and Shizuru saw a flash of Mai's eye.

"Do you want to die as well?" Mai whispered, twisting the rest of her body in a smooth motion so that she was facing the older girl.

Shizuru smiled slightly, tilting her head slightly. "Ara, I don't quite think I'm ready to go, just yet. I would like to speak to you, if I may."

Mai smiled back at her, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "No, you mayn't."

And then she was already gone, streaking towards Shizuru in a blur. Shizuru reacted quickly, leaping to the right—

And then the ambulance appeared, screeching towards them. Its headlights flashed, sweeping across Mai and Shizuru, throwing their shadows long and dark behind them.

"Fuck," Mai grimaced. Her rings spun hot with fire, and a howling blast of superheated air blasted out, rippling through the ground. The tires on the ambulance burst in a series of bangs. Kagutsuchi roared at the same time, and rose into the air, its burning wings tearing through the treetops. Burning leaves scattered in the wind.

Shizuru hit the ground, scraping her knees. She winced, and then took off running towards Midori. The unlucky ambulance had been a welcome distraction, and she seized the opportunity. Midori was deathly pale, and there was blood caked on her lips. Shizuru threw herself beside Midori as another deafening bang echoed behind them.

She looked around just in time to see Mikoto Minagi explode out through the ambulance's windshield, landing a powerful kick squarely in Kagutsuchi's eye. The Child howled in pain and recoiled back.

Shizuru hunkered down, checking for a pulse on Midori's neck. There was a sickening moment of lurching terror when she couldn't detect one at first, but then she found the pulse—it was weak, but steady.

"Midori?" She whispered gently, shaking the older woman's shoulder. Suddenly, there was pounding footsteps and Youko appeared, wild-eyed, a medical kit dangling from her arm. She looked frazzled, but intact. "Get out of here, Shizuru. I'll take care of Midori."

Shizuru wavered, lingering above Midori. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

Youko glanced at her, and Shizuru was shocked to see tears in the nurse's eyes.

"I know, Shizuru. None of us did."

Shizuru rose up on unsteady legs. Her knees bled slightly, and rivulets of blood dribbled down her shins. Everything was happening far too fast. She hobbled away, surprised to find that her heart was still beating at a normal rate. This was the eerie calm, the calm at the eye of the storm. Fire, ash, smoke, darkness. It was hauntingly familiar—everything about this was.

This had to stop.

Shizuru looked up. Kagutsuchi was silhouetted against the moonlight, dipping and swooping in midair, evidently struggling with Mikoto. Even without her Element, Mikoto was a savage fighter, and her tiny size was an asset. Every time the gigantic Child swooped close to the ground, the aftershock from its wings sent up a blinding blast of ash, and everything was a dim, smoky blur.

But where was Mai?

Her question was answered almost immediately when something slammed into her, and she went tumbling.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! I let my guard down._

Shizuru struggled to her feet, but she was kicked down swiftly. Mai loomed across her, and as their eyes met, Shizuru felt a surge of déjà vu.

She'd been in this situation before, except the roles were reversed. As Mai now stood over her, she had once stood over Nao Yuuki like this, at the cliff's side. The way Mai's eyes seemed to glow in the dim—was this how she had looked like back then, to Nao?

No wonder Nao had called her a monster, then.

"We all are," Shizuru murmured. Mai bent down, bringing her face close to Shizuru.

"What did you say?"

Shizuru tilted her chin up, smiling. "Nothing that would concern you."

Mai smiled back, matching her one for one. Her teeth glittered in the dim. "Everything concerns me."

She grabbed Shizuru under her arms and picked her up bodily. There was a roar as her rings spun with fire, and then they were hurtling across the ground. Then there was a sudden jolt, a jarring thud. Hot, sickening pain shot through Shizuru's nerves as she bit back a scream. Against her spine, the tree splintered and then split lengthwise, fibers groaning as its branches crunched against the ground. The impact had been shockingly powerful.

Mai let Shizuru go and rose into the air, her rigns humming gently. Shizuru slumped back and slid down softly, her body one giant, throbbing bundle. Her back screamed in agony, and she couldn't will herself to move through the red haze of pain.

"Is this how you'll die?" Mai mocked, watching her fallen form. "Alone, without even a whimper?"

Shizuru's eyes rose to meet hers, glowing balefully, but she could not speak. The ground was slowly rising, and suddenly she felt the cool soil pressing into her cheek, blades of grass brushing against her lips.

_Sorry, Natsuki. I couldn't do much of anything. _

Her eyelids drooped, and her vision blurred slightly. Then she saw it—a snake, an ordinary _aodaisho. _The smooth blue-green scales shone dully in the moonlight and the firelight, casting it in different shades of light. Shizuru watched it silently. An odd, drifting sensation had overtaken her.

Shizuru's head felt like syrup; her eyes began to glaze over. The snake stopped, and raised its head to look at her. Its eyes glittered like polished marbles, and Shizuru gazed into them. The surrounding noise had become muted, distant.

Her lips moved soundlessly, forming a familiar name.

_Kiyohime_

In the snake's eyes, Shizuru could see the reflection of a beautiful rolling ocean. She could smell the spray, hear the roar of the waves.. She felt herself rushing, surging forward, falling into the illusion…somewhere far, far behind her, she heard the echoing thunderclap of vast doors slamming shut.

Then the world was deafeningly silent, and empty.


	11. The Serene Dragon

**In response to Nanashi: Don't you think it's kind of strange to base your criteria on liking or hating a show by reading the fan-fiction about it? Did you actually watch the show itself? Otherwise, I got to say I'm pretty pleased that what I write can evoke such a strong response, positive or negative. To quote Willis: "Yippie-ki-yay, motherfucker!"**

**Note: The significance of a furisode kimono denotes that the woman is unmarried and is of age.**

-

All around Shizuru, there was silence. It was an oppressive, fragrant silence. Wetness brushed her skirt. Drops of liquid clung to her hair.

Shizuru opened her eyes.

She was standing waist-deep in a red ocean. The skies were a rosy pink hue, lightening towards yellow in the west. The horizon stretched all around her as far as the eye could see. Shizuru looked down and saw her face, reflected in the red water. Her gaze settled on where the liquid rippled around her waist, and she realized that where her white blouse met the water's surface, it was stained a deep red. The redness was slowly crawling up through the fiber in a slow spread.

Water shouldn't stain.

Shizuru dipped a hand in the water and brought it out. It dripped a slickly oily red. As she titled her hand and it ran out, it left behind stains, seeping into the lines of her palm.

Blood. She was standing waist-deep in an endless ocean of blood.

The salty, coppery tang of it was on her tongue, in her nostrils, drying in flecks on her hands. Shizuru looked up, and was startled to see another woman standing opposite from her.

The woman was the most beautiful person Shizuru had ever seen, and her breath caught in her throat before she realized that this woman was almost a mirror duplicate of herself. Almost. Their faces were identical; Shizuru might have been looking into a mirror. But the other woman's hair was starkly black, with hints of burnished red—a reflection of the ocean. Her eyes were golden, but devoid of the warmth and richness associated with that color—they were more like brass.

Shizuru quickly took note of the woman's attire—a _furisode_ kimono, dyed a rich purple, with red floral patterning. The obi was a lighter lavender color. And then as Shizuru's gaze traveled downwards, she realized that the woman was also standing waist-deep in the blood. The hem of her kimono trailed out, floating atop the murky red liquid.

The woman with Shizuru's face looked back at her, and Shizuru let out a slow exhale. The woman smiled; it was a gently sardonic smile. "Hello, Mother."

Shizuru did not smile. "Hello, Kiyohime."

Kiyohime's eyes gleamed. "This is my House, dear Mother. Do you like it?"

"It's very nice." Shizuru replied politely. "But why am I here?"

Kiyohime tilted her head. It was a perfectly controlled, calculated movement. "You called me, did you not? And I answered."

"Well," Shizuru said dryly. "You're looking a little….slimmer."

Kiyohime unfolded her paper fan with a quirt snap, chucking. It sounded eerily like the hissing of snakes. "I was very much like you once, Ssssshizuru. I was young, and beautiful. "

Shizuru shrugged indifferently. "As interesting as your past history is, don't you think now is an inopportune time? I was in the middle of…something."

Kiyohime glanced at her sharply. "You desire my help, do you not? Don't be ungracioussssss. I have died for you once. And from what I saw, you were certainly going to die at the hands of Kagutsuchi's Hime."

"I'm sorry," Shizuru replied contritely. "But I need to ask. What is it you want?"

The Child smiled. "You don't bandy about the ssssubject. I like that about you. But of course, otherwise I wouldn't have chosen you, Mother."

Shizuru blinked. "The Childs choose their HiME?"

"But of course. We pick the ones we feel the most kinship to, in mind and spirit. You and I, we are very sssssimilar. We are fragile, doomed to the tragedy of unrequited affection."

Shizuru didn't reply, but her eyes widened slightly as realization struck her. "You are _that _Kiyohime?"

It was very subtle, almost unnoticeable, but Kiyohime's eyes briefly flashed. "My Anchin was to me what your Natsuki is to you. But I killed my most important person. I crushed his bones in my coils and ssssssplit his flesh with the shards of his temple's bell. You could have killed Natsuki in the same manner. But you did not, Mother."

"I almost did," Shizuru replied softly. "You know that."

"But you did not," Kiyohime said coolly. "You were sssssstronger. And now you fight again, to protect her. To protect the feelings you treasure the most. You desire me to come to your aid again."

"But you didn't come," Shizuru whispered, her heart thudding heavily in her chest.

Kiyohime licked her lips, and Shizuru caught a brief flash of her tongue. It seemed to be forked. "I am a god. I am Kiyohime. I belong to you no longer, Mother. When the Obsidian Lord died, we were all set free. Those who returned to their Hime did so only out of sssssslavish loyalty. I am no such thing. I am vengeance incarnate, the hatred born of love scorned. My power is no longer yours to borrow. I belong only to myssssself now."

Shizuru clenched her fists. "Then why am I here? Why are you wasting my time?"

Kiyohime pierced her with a glare. "Ssssssssilence that ungrateful tongue of yours, Mother, or I will devour it. Do not interrupt me again. You and I will not fight together again, but I am bound to give you a token of my gratitude for freeing me from the Carnival of the Ikusahime."

Shizuru was momentarily lost for words. "I….thank you, Kiyohime. I'm…very grateful."

Kiyohime smiled craftily, baring her small, sharp teeth. "Not yet, you aren't. But you will be. I am giving you an invocation. And I also will tell you how to triumph over Mai."

"How?" Shizuru breathed.

Kiyohime's eyes gleamed. "Let her gaze upon the stars."

•••

Natsuki watched with mounting horror as Mai picked up Shizuru in the distance. There was an audible roar as Mai's rings spun, and then there was a deafening blast of fire as the enraged Mai bodily slammed Shizuru into a tree a good distance away.

The tree split with a deafening crack; a rain of leaves and broken twigs showered down on Shizuru as she slid down the trunk loosely.

Natsuki yelled—a hoarse, animal cry of despair and began to run, but she was still weak and couldn't manage much more than a shambling, unsteady pace. Behind her, the startled Yukino began to say something, and then seemed to think better of herself, running to catch up.

Distantly, Natsuki could hear Mai speaking. "Is this how you'll die? Alone, without even a whisper?"

Natsuki's heart thundered in her chest. _Shit. _ Suddenly, her foot hit a stone and she fell hard, smashing against the ground. Yukino stopped short, alarmed. "Are you all right?"

Natsuki winced in pain, and then grunted an affirmative. She held out her hand as Yukino helped her up to her feet. "We've got to get her out of there."

"Natsuki…" Yukino sighed. "Shizuru asked me to keep you out of trouble."

"And now she's gone and gotten herself into trouble," Natsuki snapped. "Aren't you even worried?"

Yukino bit her lip as conflicting emotions played across her face. She didn't have the heart to tell Natsuki that it was already over. Shizuru was lying on the ground. Her eyelids hang halfway shut, and underneath them the eyes were dim. Yukino could see her hand in the grass, pale in the moonlight. It was spattered with flecks of blood.

Natsuki began to walk again, slowly and painfully. It was clear she wouldn't listen to reason. She nearly stumbled again, but Yukino rushed to her and lent her support, wrapping Natsuki's arm around her shoulder. Natsuki glanced at her sidelong, and nodded in silent thanks. She then turned her gaze upon Mai and the fallen Shizuru.

"Mai!"

Mai's head perked up, and she turned to look at Natsuki. Her expression was unreadable, and Yukino suppressed the urge to swallow. If she hadn't been holding Natsuki up, she would be trembling. _Oh,_ _Haruka, I wish you were here._

But Haruka was not here to give her courage, and so she would have to bear with it. She was past being a coward.

Natsuki spoke again, anguish in her eyes. "Please, Mai. Why did it ever come down to this? I thought we were past this now."

Mai grimaced. "Since when were you so weak, Natsuki? Isn't the whole point of being a Hime to fight? To fight, and kill everything that stands in our path? I've nothing left to live for now."

"You're being unreasonable, and foolish," Natsuki retorted, gritting her teeth. "Have you forgotten the Ikusahime's feelings when we rallied together to end the Carnival? Don't you remember? Remember what you said to Mikoto?"

Mai curled her lip. "Love? What an idealist notion. It doesn't last, and in the end everything you hold dear will be taken away from you. That's how it always is. Nothing matters. We all struggle to eke out a living, and then we die. That's all there is to it."

Her words rang heavily in the silence.

"Look," Mai continued. "Look at me. I worked my entire goddamn life, worked to the bone to make sure Takumi got a good upbringing, to send him to a good school. I was forced to participate in a archaic war that I never wanted to be part of, and I ended it. What do I get in return? They took Takumi away from me." Her voice rose in pitch at the last sentence, and her eyes were wild.

Natsuki jerked forward. "You aren't the only one here who's suffered losses, Mai! What about Nao and her mother? And Mikoto! She needs you! Listen to yourself—! Is this what Takumi would have wanted?"

"_Don't—say—his—name. "_Mai bared her teeth.The golden rings around her wrists spun, howling with fire. Her calves tensed as she readied for a lunge, and then—

A voice rang out behind them. "Mai!"

•••

Far above in the skies, Kagutsuchi roared and twisted as Mikoto clung onto one of the _mitsu-tomoe_ projections on his back. She'd dealt several stolid blows to the gigantic Child, but this was proving to be somewhat trickier than she'd thought.

"Kagutsuchi, I know you're only doing what Mai tells you to do." She whispered , eyes watering in the wind. "But please, won't you stop fighting? I don't want to fight. I'm tired of fighting."

Kagutsuchi's only response was to buck and squirm wildly, throwing himself into a corkscrew in an attempt to dislodge the young girl.

Mikoto yelped as the wind roared all around her, battering her scrawny frame. Her fingers slipped on the smooth, polished surface of the _mitsu-tomoe _and there was one terrifying moment when it seemed as though she would be thrown off.

As if realizing that his attempts were useless, Kagutsuchi suddenly seemed to be struck by a bolt of inspiration. He pulled himself upright and paused, hovering as his wings roared with fire, restoring his oxygen. The vents in the hollows of his chest began to glow with light. He opened his maw wide, and stream hissed out between his jagged teeth.

Mikoto's eyes widened as she realized what the Child was doing.

The _mitsu-tomoe_ on Kagutsuchi's back rumbled, and began to revolve, gradually picking up speed. A high-pitched drone sang through the air, making Mikoto's teeth vibrate. She yelped, her fingers scalded by the friction of the spinning cylinder and involuntarily let go, tumbling through the air towards the treetops. Reflexes kicked in and she flung one hand out. The small girl crashed through several levels of branches before gaining a grip onto one of them, saving herself from an unwelcome impact with the ground.

She swung on the branch and then hoisted herself up, crouching amid the foliage. There was a blast of hot wind and leaves scattered all around her as Kagutsuchi roared by overhead, briefly illuminating everything in red firelight.

As the heat and light dwindled, Mikoto waited quietly for several minutes before judging it safe. She quickly clambered down the trunk and hit the ground running. The trees flashed by her in a blur, ragged slashes of black against the murky gloom.

A clearing opened up in front of her, the trees gradually becoming more widely spaced apart, and she was suddenly back on the edge of the dormitory lawns. Mikoto's breath came to her quickly in ragged gasps as she saw Mai, facing off with Natsuki and Yukino. Joy bloomed in her chest.

"Mai!" she cried, forgetting herself. Mai whirled around, and Mikoto froze in place, momentarily transfixed by terror at the expression on Mai's face.

Mai raised her hand, the ring spinning hot and bright around her wrist. "Leave. Now."

Mikoto took one step back. "But—I—" Her eyes darted back and forth between Mai and Natsuki, uncertain.

Quickly and as gracefully noiseless as a pale shadow, Shizuru stepped into the light, her naginata Element flashing in a blur. It flared white, and then a pair of rippling golden chains snaked out towards Mai in a blur of whirring blades.

_"Element Expansion—Ouroboros of the Serene Abyss."_


	12. Machinery of Night

**Sadly, Shizuru was never given an Elemental Expansion in the Mai-Otome anime or manga. As far as I know, we only know of Arika's Bolt from the Blue, Natsuki's Howling Silver Wolf, Nao's Bloody Stripe Circus, and Nina's Dash Cold Water Spout (yeah, I know, it's kind of a retarded name.) But the odd thing is they never showed what Mai's Element Expansion was called, either, even though we see it fairly often in the Otome anime (the giant spinning chakram that she flies through).**

**So basically, I had to invent one for Shizuru. That was challenging, to think of something that wasn't over the top and fitted her. An ouroboros is a snake that swallows its own tail, so it's either eternally devouring or giving birth to itself. Pretty metaphorical. And Shizuru is pretty serene. Except when she's lopping heads and limbs off hapless First District people. **

**The next** **chapter is the final chapter. Thirteen chapters...not bad. Like the thirteen HiME. This one seems weirdly short, though. I hope it pleases you all, nonetheless.  
**

"_Get out of here, Shizuru. I'll take care of Midori."_

_Shizuru wavered, lingering above Midori. "I didn't mean for this to happen." _

_Youko glanced at her, and Shizuru was shocked to see tears in the nurse's eyes. _

"_I know, Shizuru. None of us did."_

•

Youko Sagisawa knelt next to Midori, looking down upon her pale face. She looked like death. There was caked blood on her lips, and Youko traced it with her finger. The blood was still slightly damp, and crusted off in smears. Youko was in a reverie, staring at the blood.

How could this be? Midori was immortal, untouchable. She was a force of nature….but like this, she looked so weak, so broken. Her lips under Youko's touch were soft, too. Unbearably soft. Youko had never thought of Midori as a soft person, generally speaking.

Youko closed her eyes, tears squeezing out from under her eyelids. _Goddamn it, woman, pull yourself together. You've got a patient to treat. _

Shizuru had confirmed the pulse, so the airways were clear. Next step. Blood on the lips, no visible wounds, except for severe bruising. That suggested a severe blow to the torso, perhaps damaging internal organs. Maybe broken ribs. No way to know if she hadn't seen what happened. Youko gently pried Midori's lips open and tilted her head to the right, allowing the blood that had pooled in her mouth to drain out. Her hands trembled.

A hand grabbed her wrist.

"Aaaaah!" Youko screamed, jerking in shock. Midori's eyes opened, and rolled upwards blearily.

"You…ko," she croaked. "Is that…is that you?"

Youko exhaled, letting her hammering heart slow down. "No I'm Elvis."

Fear tended to bring out the worst in her; sarcasm was a symptom. Midori laughed, but it came out as more of a wheezing cough, and Youko winced at the rasping sound. She laid a hand on Midori's forehead, steadying her. "Don't move. You've sustained a lot of damage."

Midori closed her eyes. "I'm dying and glad to bleed…how did…Wagner song say?" She sounded eerily calm; the calmness of a madman.

Youko shuddered, unsettled. "Enough with the theatrics, Midori. You're not dying, not on my watch." She moved her hand down from Midori's forehead to her cheek, stroking it. "Just don't fucking scare me like that again."

Midori's eyes widened childishly. "You said…the eff wuh...word," She giggled, her words slightly slurred.

Youko sighed. "Yeah, whatever. How do you feel? Where does it hurt the most?"

Midori shook her head slowly, dreamily. "No. No. Must listen to me, Yo…Youko. Youko. Youko," She held on to the word, repeating it reverently, like a mantra.

Youko leaned in closer. Unease knotted in her gut. "What is it, you blasted fool woman? What is so important that you won't let me treat you yet?"

"Didn't want….things to be left unsaid," Midori rasped. It seemed to be getting harder for her to breathe, and Youko tilted her head back gently. "Didn't want it…to be…like this, really. Could have been more sappy. Maybe….candlelight and edible bras. Or maybe we'd be roaring drunk out of our minds. Burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night."

"What in blazes are you talking about?" Youko whispered, anguished. Clearly, Midori has suffered a severe concussion. This was dementia. Midori quoting Ginsberg did not happen, period.

"I don't want to die," Midori said. Her voice was tremulous, feverish. "I'm scared. Too much inside there. Life's just a husk, covering up the big sleep. It's a bacteria, eating off death. We're just a footnote. I never got to tell you what really mattered. I was always so stupid. Always drinking, to forget. To make it go away. I was scared. I'm scared. I always tried to outrun it. The Steel Lance Gakutenou, probably could, but I couldn't. I love you. I lied about the professor. I'm sorry."

"Bacteria?" Youko spluttered. "You're coughing up blood and you're babbling about metaphysics and Ginsberg and—wait, _what did you just say? _Wait, Midori, goddamn it, don't flake out on me now, you—you –"

But Midori had already fainted again.

•

Shizuru's eyes opened wide. Her blood pounded through her veins, her heartbeat roaring in her ears, drumming like distant thunder. Her eyes dilated, and the night was suddenly _alive. _She was a serpent, striking faster than the eye could see. She was everywhere, her naginata's blade slicing through the chill with a piercing scream.

The invocation slithered off her tongue as though it had been waiting there all along.

_"Element Expansion—Ouroboros of the Serene Abyss."_

Her naginata glowed in her hands, blazing with eerie light. The photons reconfigured themselves into a new form amid a shrieking blur of sparks.

**_ III_**

Two newly formed golden blades flashed in the dim light, gleaming like cold fire. The double-handled grips were laid along side by side, pointing in opposite directions. Her wrists were crossed.

**_ II_**

She uncrossed and twisted her wrists in a blindingly fast serpentine motion, never letting go of both handles.

**_ I_**

The blades shot out, the smooth curves of their edge becoming serrated and broken as they extended into whip-like segments, coiling and snaking through the air like golden vipers.

**_ Ø_**

Thunder rumbled. Fire crackled. The wind screamed. The heavens were split open in a blinding flash of lightning as the bloody HiME and the burning HiME clashed. Mai's chakrams roared and spat sparks as the blades of Shizuru's double-ended naginata scraped off them and she was flung back by the force. Shizuru leapt back as well, snapping her wrists in a deft flick to summon the chained blades back.

_This is how I should have fought, in the light, rather than from the shadows_

Mai twisted and whirled midair, recovering and unleashing a roaring whirl of fire at Shizuru. She sidestepped the inferno and struck again, viper-like. The blades sang through the sulfur-charged air, singing to the same tune as the blood in Shizuru's veins.

_I am alive_

Metal screamed against metal as the Elements clashed together, again and again. Their silhouettes were thrown into stark relief by the firelight, their feet lightly dancing along the scorched ground. Time was unimportant. Each moment blended into the next, and later, all Shizuru could recall was a long haze of hot heat, hissing sparks, and the rush of air as she dodged and weaved and leapt.

But all things come to an end, and the battlefield was soon to be silent. A lull drifted in. Shizuru was leaning on her naginata, breathing heavily. Her heart thudded rapidly in her chest. As a well-bred daughter of a upper-class family, she'd been raised according to tradition, and had been schooled in naginatajutsu from early childhood, but even this was taking a toll on her body.

Mai, was also losing her vigor. She suddenly swerved and rose up to meet her Child, alighting upon his back. Kagutsuchi, a spectator until this moment, began to descend, bearing down upon Shizuru. The wind began to blow violently, blasted out by the force of his rapid flight. He opened his jaws and roared, his golden talons tearing up the ground as he thundered towards Shizuru.

Sweat dripped into Shizuru's eye as she looked up towards the Child. She only had enough energy left for one blow. One chance.

She took the chance.

The naginata cracked through the air and wrapped taut around Kagutsuchi's neck, constricting him. He bit back a roar and choked as the surging fire within him backfired back into his body, and there was a muffled, moist sound. The Child screamed through its throat, and his body spasmed violently.

For a moment, Shizuru was convinced the Child would hit the ground and crash, but Kagutsuchi surprised her. Using the momentum from his charge, he twisted, did a clumsy barrel roll mere inches above the ground, and pulled up in the nick of time. The blast of air from that maneuver blew all of the leaves off the trees behind Shizuru

. And then just as suddenly, Shizuru found herself being violently yanked up into the air. Her naginata was still around Kagutsuchi's neck and the monstrous Child was dragging her up into the skies. She hadn't been prepared for it, and her grip nearly slipped but she caught herself in time. Her shoulder twisted painfully and she almost screamed.

The ground beneath was too far away now, and if she disengaged her Element, she would kill herself in the fall. It was getting hard to breathe. Kagutsuchi's wings roared and boiled with jets of fire, swallowing up all of the oxygen in the rapidly thinning air. The wind was howling in Shizuru's throbbing ears, and her fingers were becoming numb.

A thin, spidery latticework of ice was beginning to knit itself across Kagutsuchi's jawline and neck, but the crazed Child was beyond caring. He was beyond the world now.

_(Kagutsuchi is crying)_

Shizuru blinked. The thought had stolen into her mind, but it was not hers. But it felt…true, somehow.

The skies darkened suddenly; they were high enough that the eternal blue sky had begun to fade and reveal the stars, glittering like jewels in the velvety blackness beyond.

_("Let her gaze upon the stars.")_

And then Shizuru understood.

The Child began to slow down, his fiery wings sputtering weakly. He began to drift aimlessly, his muscles growing slack.

Slowly, Shizuru lifted her hand and grasped the extended blade of the naginata above her, using it as a rope. The blade bit into her hand painfully, but she ignored the pain and began slowly pulling herself up. It was an exacting task, and terrifying. Out of the corner of Shizuru's eye, she could see the curve of the ground on the horizon far below her. She climbed with care, her nerves raw. Death was so close, breathing down her neck.

After a few heart-stopping minutes, Shizuru was finally at Kagutsuchi's neck. She pulled herself up and over onto his large shoulder, gasping as she half-collapsed, arms exhausted. When her heart had slowed down somewhat, she rolled over and glanced at Mai warily. The latter was sitting on Kagutsuchi's head, staring upwards. Her eyes shone with the reflection of the star-studded heavens. Every line, every curve of her slumped body spoke of a bone-deep weariness.

Mai turned her face slightly towards Shizuru, her eyes haunted.

"I remember them now, from back then. I had forgotten."


	13. Twilight of the Gods

**Ye gods. I started this out intending it to be a romance, but I feel like I got waaaay sidetracked by the action. But now that I've gotten this out of my system, my other projects will surely focus more on what I intend them to, such as a manga-verse paring of Mai and Natsuki. Thank you, readers, for being so patient and bearing with me through all of the madness. I am truly, truly grateful.**

**I was going to write an epilogue about the reunion of Mai and Mikoto set a couple pr so years after the events depicted here, but I am supposed to be awake in four hours to catch a very, very early overseas flight, said flight which lasts 17 hours, and I honestly can't summon up the will or energy to keep writing. I know it's very unprofessional and disappointing, but I take solace in the fact I can't physically get lynch mobbed for it. If the place where I'm going has access to a word processor and the internet, I WILL follow up with the epilogue, mark my words.**

Kagutsuchi drifted silently over the world, gently scraping the underbelly of the celestial bodies. Below him, the atmosphere was a slow gradient of light blue deepening into the black of the beyond. Ice had already begun to knit in a slow, splintery pattern across his smooth contours, but the burning heat of his wings kept the cold at bay. Everything seemed to be still.

Mai sat upon her Child's broad head, staring upward at the stars.

"I remember them now, from back then. I had forgotten."

Shizuru lay a short distance away, sprawled out on her back. She was exhausted and her arms ached, but dwelling on physical pain was not an option. "What did you forget?"

"Why I fought," Mai turned her head, gazing at Shizuru. "No, I don't know if that is true. I had a reason to fight….but it was a different one. I was so angry…but now I don't feel anything. The last time I was this close to the stars, I was someone else. Do you remember? Artemis…and the—no, you couldn't have….you weren't there."

"I wasn't, no. But I know what happened."

Mai closed her eyes and leaned back. "Alyssa derided me back then, because I didn't have a reason to fight. But is there ever any reason to fight, except—" She broke off. "Except….this time, I did, even if it was for a selfish reason. But it felt….right, to me."

"It felt right at the time when I attacked the First District, as well," Shizuru said softly. "Fighting for something that really moved us….be it love, or hatred. We are all human, simply humans. The Childs are our physical manifestations of those very emotions. I always thought it seemed senseless, placing such power in the hands of beings as fallible as us."

Mai snorted. "I was so idealistic and naïve. Love….fighting for it may be grand and noble, but it didn't get me anywhere. At least, that's what I was thinking just moments ago. But the indifference of the stars swept all of that away."

"Does this mean you won't be trying to kill me anymore?" Shizuru said lightly. She held her breath, but exhaled in secret relief as Mai smirked slightly, the corner of her lip tugging up.

"I've no reason to, not now. No…it's over. I'm done. There's nothing left for me." She closed her eyes. "No more fighting. I'm sick to the bone of it."

Shizuru turned her face towards the other HiME. "There' always going to be fighting, regardless of whether we participate in it or not. That's how the world has always been. Fight or die. That is what my father always told me. He always pushed me to be ruthless, to use and manipulate other people for my own ends. But he was also a compassionate man. It's ironic, looking back on it."

"You had no mother, then?" Mai asked.

"No, I never knew her. I have no recollection of her. "

"Then you are lucky." Mai went quiet, staring listlessly out into the big empty.

Shizuru shrugged. "What now, then?"

Mai closed her eyes. "I will send you back home."

Shizuru sat up, startled by her words. "But what about you?"

Mai met her gaze. "I can't. Not yet. There's just too much….I can't face them right now. There's too much pain. Too much loss. I need to be forgotten, for a while. I need to figure out some things on my own."

_You are running away,_ Shizuru thought. But she said nothing. "This will break Mikoto's heart."

Mai flinched. "Please…I—"

"I'm sorry," Shizuru said gently.

"Will you look after her for me?" Mai whispered. She sounded tired, hollowed out. Shizuru reached out for her hand, and took it into her own. Their warm fingers intertwined.

In their last moments together, they sat quietly, hand in hand between the Earth and timeless eternity.

•••••

As the first inches of dawn stained the pale blue sky, Natsuki rose abruptly. One word leapt from her tongue, achingly. "Shizuru—!"

And so it was. A battered and weary figure, walking slowly towards her, the familiar red handle of her Element heavily slung across her shoulders.

Natsuki walked towards her rapidly, and then broke into a sprint. The two girls, bathed in the pale, cool light, met, and embraced each other. Natsuki buried her face into Shizuru's shoulder, breathing in her scent as her arms wound around the other's girl waist tightly. It was good timing, as Shizuru's knees buckled and she sagged slightly, exhausted.

"I was so fucking scared," Natsuki sighed. "Thank god you're all right."

"I am," Shizuru whispered. "I'm home now. Everything will be okay. I think."

They stood quietly, melding together. Not much left could be said. Mikoto walked towards them as they finally parted, her eyes darting back and forth between both girls.

"Where is Mai?" Her voice trembled slightly. The silence and the sorrow in Shizuru's eyes was answer enough.

At that moment, the sky flared brilliantly, and the weak light was chased away by a searing blast of light. A tremendous burning contrail stretched across the skies, from horizon to horizon, flaring and rippling with heat. The wind wailed, and ash from the lawns swirled into the air. Mai was sending them a farewell.

Shizuru shielded her face, and her hand's shadow fell across her eyes. "She loves you, Mikoto. She always has, more than she could ever express."

Miktoto turned away, her eyes burning. . She didn't want them to see her cry.

•••••

The next day

Youko swiveled around in her chair aimlessly, tapping her pen against the desk. The infirmary was utterly silent, save for the slow, steady beeping of the heart monitor machine next to Tate's bed. Midori lay in the other bed. Tate was badly beat up, but he'd survive. Youko wasn't too concerned about him, not as much as she was about Midori.

Midori, Midori, Midori. God damn it. She couldn't focus, couldn't let go of the words that Midori had uttered to her yesterday.

"_I love you. I lied about the professor. I'm sorry." _

What. The. Hell. Did it all mean? Fucking typical of Midori to faint just after telling her, just when Youko desperately needed to talk to her the most. Wasn't that just so _Midori?_ Goddammit, woman.

Youko groaned, and her head slowly sank towards the desk, thudding against its cool surface. Banging her head against the desk seemed like a nice option, but it wouldn't solve anything and the only thing she'd get out of it was a raging headache.

Tersely, she ran fingers through her dark hair, brushing out the tangles. She looked like hell. She hadn't slept, and her eyes were puffy and bloodshot. Dark circles from no sleep. Typical of Midori to make her lose sleep from worrying.

To ease her frustration, Youko pushed herself from her desk and scooted her wheeled chair over to Midori's bedside. She'd been doing this at intervals for the past hour, almost obsessively, staring at Midori's face.

It'd have looked creepy to anyone else, but Youko barely cared at that point. They'd been friends for so long, and Midori had always been utterly baffling to Youko—her complete opposite, although they did share some things in common. Their great love of sake, and their wild abandon of basic driving safety.

Does she love me like that?

The thought had stolen so suddenly into her mind, and it startled her. Could that be? Did Midori swing that way? But she'd been so _adamant_ about the professor, that frumpy old man.

"_I lied…."_

Youko reached out and ran her hand along Midori's arm, glancing at the small dusting of freckles along her smooth skin. There was a fading tan, probably from her previous trip to Egypt. She remembered the postcard Midori had sent them from back then, a photograph of herself atop a red truck, with the professor driving. She closed her eyes, smirking unconsciously as she amused herself with a mental image of Midori roaring around in a Jeep, dodging gunfire and flying aloft by explosions. That woman always had some crazy stories to tell.

"Hey, nurse, about how putting some sake in the IV for me huh?"

Youko jumped. "Jesus! How long were you awake?"

Midori flashed a hundred-watt smile at her. "I just woke up. I'm starving, man. Got something this poor old body can get drunk on?"

Youko rolled her eyes and pushed Midori back onto her pillow. "Don't you even think about it."

Midori wrinkled her nose at Youko and shifted slightly. "Grumpy as always."

"Well, what do you expect?" Youko snapped. "I've been sitting here all day and night, I haven't gotten a blink of sleep, I've been worried sick about you."

Midori blinked stupidly. "Really?" She jumped as the cold metal of a stethoscope touched her breast. "Ahhhh! Jesus, nurse, that's icy."

Youko listened to Midori's heartbeat briefly. "Well, I'm amazed. You took a hell of a beating, but it sounds like everything inside is still functional. Barely."

"But of course," Midori proclaimed. "The hero of justice always prevails in the end—" She stopped short, realizing Youko's hand was still on her breast. "Uh…"

There was an awkward silence in the air, and Youko leaned in close. Midori could feel her warm breath tickling against her cheek. There were tears in the other woman's eyes. "Youko?"

"You fucking idiot," Youko whispered. "I thought you were going to die. What you said to me last night…"

Midori twitched. "Uh…" _Oh, crap. _"Uh….what did I say last night? I don't really…"

"You said you loved me, and lied about the professor. What did you mean by that, Midori?"

Their faces were far too close. Midori cleared her throat, her cheeks hot. "I don't know. I was really out of it. I mean—"

"You're lying," Youko smirked. "I can hear your heart rate going up."

_Aw, shit._ She'd forgotten the stethoscope was still there.

"Is it true, Midori?"

Midori gulped. She was trapped, and they both knew it. "Youko, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said last night. I'll understand if you don't want to talk to me or see me again, but I—"

"You talk too much," Youko whispered, and suddenly, the distance between their faces were gone. "All this time, and you never told me? Midori, you really are an idiot."

In retrospect, Midori should probably have said something witty in response, but suddenly they were breathing into each other's mouths, and hands were lightly ghosting up her back, under her hospital gown, and damn, Youko was _good_ with her tongue.

The nurse left her chair and slipped under the sheets with Midori, wrapping her arms gently around the injured woman. She rested her head against Midori's chest, sighing softly. The two old friends lay there in silence for a long time, as the light in the room grew softer and changed as time passed. The world was all right for now. There was only one place that existed for them, and that was the now.


	14. Serenity

**Finally, my life is back on track. I know, I deserve a thorough bawling out for the very long delay. **

Mai closed her eyes, feeling the sun rise across the curve of the Earth. Its light danced off the undulating seas below in shattered golden shards, and the heat bloomed on her cheeks.

Shizuru was gone, and now she was alone with the stars, with her Child. A queen cast away to drift in the quiet black sea above the heavens.

Eyes still closed, Mai smiled. A word fell from her lips, its sound lost to boundless eternity.

_Kagutsuchi_

A searing flash of light, a roaring contrail of flame, and suddenly the stars were alone.

xxxx

_Two years later_

An open-top Jeep roared along a deserted highway, sending up a gusting cloud of dust in its wake. Midori was at the wheel, belting out tunes at the top of her breath in badly mangled English, her hair flapping behind her in the wind.

"_Psychic spies from china try to steal your mind's elation! And if you want these kind of dreams….it's Californication!"_

Shizuru was in the passenger's seat next to Midori, and she raised her voice to join in the chorus. A striking vision in aviator sunglasses and a light white sundress, her voice rang in the vast arid air.

"_First born unicorn hard core soft pornnnn—dream of Californication dream of Californicationnnn…"_

The radio boomed and roared, speakers pulsing at full tilt. They could barely hear themselves over the whistling wind but they sang on blithely anyway.

From the backseat, Natsuki groaned and covered her ears. "For the love of all that is holy and sweet, Shizuru….enough!"

Next to her, Youko was oblivious to the world, sound asleep. Shizuru turned around and pouted at Natsuki. "Do you not like my singing?"

Natsuki glared back at her. "Not when it's about porn!"

"It's not about porn!" Midori sang out. "It's about—"

"_Californicaaaaation!"_ She and Shizuru shouted in unison.

"Yeah, yeah, yeeeeah!"

Natsuki rolled her eyes, but smirked despite herself. "I can't believe you guys talked me into this. I mean, a road trip? Seriously?"

"Why not?" Midori shrugged, glancing back at Natsuki across her shoulder. "We're responsible adults, we can do whatever we want!"

"Eyes on the road, Midori!" Shizuru yelled. Midori whirled around ("Oh _shiiiit!")_ A squealing of tires and a roar of the engine, and they barely avoided death for the third time in the previous hour. Youko slept on, blissfully unaware.

Natsuki settled back, surprisingly content. She couldn't really begrudge Midori. The older woman had quite unexpectedly grown close to Shizuru, and Shizuru had a far freer personality thanks to that. Although sometimes it still took some getting used to. "Well, not all of us are adults…"

She glanced meaningfully towards Mikoto, who was sandwiched in between herself and Youko.

Mikoto scowled at Natsuki, her golden eyes flashing. "I just turned sixteen! I'm not a kid anymore!"

"No one said that," Natsuki drawled. "Besides, I notice you're _still _not wearing any bras—ow! God damn it, I was just joking!"

"Whatever," Mikoto sighed, settling back in her seat. Natsuki shifted uncomfortably, suddenly aware she'd managed to tick off Mikoto once again. Although she and Shizuru had assumed responsibility of taking care of Mikoto, the younger woman had been decidedly less affectionate towards her than she had ever been with Mai.

Natsuki wasn't an idiot, of course. She knew she could never replace Mai in Mikoto's eyes, but she wished she had the same talent Mai had in the motherly department. She wasn't the touchy-feely sort. Shizuru did somewhat better with Mikoto than her, honestly. They got on as well as ever, but ever since

_(that night)_

something had been noticeably absent from Mikoto's genial disposition, and Natsuki missed it sorely. Mai's parting had left behind an invisible hole, a yawing hole that didn't close up even as the years passed. Although she didn't say it out loud, she missed Mai's presence, and she knew Mikoto felt it most acutely of all.

The entire madcap road trip had been Midori's idea, naturally. To finish what she and Shizuru had almost started two years ago. They had pretty much covered most of Japan now, and were heading back home to Fuuka now.

Midori honked the horn loudly, and Natsuki jumped, startled. "What what what?"

Shizuru smiled at her, and Natsuki blushed slightly, embarrassed. "We're almost there, Natsuki. See the cliffs over there?"

Natsuki shifted slightly to crane her head. The cliffs were indeed coming up—large bluish-black chunks of stone jutting up above the seas. Her heart gave a slight pang, but she pushed it back down. "Yeah, so?"

"Do you want to stop by there for a bit?" Shizuru asked her quietly. Natsuki blinked, and then smiled warmly. "Yeah, I think I'd like to. It's been a while since I visited the spot where Mother died."

"Good, gives me enough time to molest Youko in her sleep," Midori said, her eyes still on the road. Shizuru chuckled in a tone that Natsuki found somewhat unsettling.

"No molesting the nurse." Youko said suddenly, startling everyone.

"Aaah! Jesus, Youko, I thought you were still sleeping!"

"I _was_, until you honked the goddamn horn."

xxxxx

The sunrise across the sea was a deep bloody red lightening to yellow just above the horizon. Natsuki leaned across the railing, staring out into the water. Shizuru was leaning into her, arms wrapped around the younger girl. The silence between them was a comfortable, full one.

"I don't think she's coming back," Natsuki said quietly. Shizuru shifted, and Natsuki could feel her warm breath next to her ear.

"You shouldn't say that," Shizuru whispered. "Think of Mikoto."

"I don't know," Natsuki sighed. "The hope was strong before. But it's been two years now. The hope's staring to fade. Look at Mikoto….she's so bitter now. It really makes me sad."

"She still has us."

"She loved Mai. She and Mai were each other's most important people. Mai leaving her like that…I don't know. How could she do that? I can't understand."

"I can," Shizuru said. "I was the last person she spoke to. I will never forget the look in her eyes at the end. It was like she was tearing her own heart out. No one loved more ferociously and lost more bitterly than Mai did, Natsuki."

"I'm glad I still have you, honestly. This place….it just brings back so many memories for me. I—"

"Enough. You talk too much." Shizuru smiled. Her arms tightened around Natsuki as she leaned down, kissing her gently. Above, a lone falling star shot across the darkening skies.

xxxxxxx

Below the cliffs, Mikoto was sitting on the beach, watching the waves surge up the sands and then dwindle, over and over. The rhythmic, repetitive exhalations of the ocean calmed her, and an unusual peace came across her mind, deep and black and soothing.

She closed her eyes and let her head sink back into the sand. It embraced her like a warm blanket. There were days when she had ceased to think about Mai anymore, and now the hurt wasn't so bad. It was still there, yes, but far duller now.

The smell of the salt, the warm sand, this was all here. This was now. She was strangely content for the first time in days.

But soon, the warmth of the daylight seeped out of the air, and night's chill crept in. The others had retreated to the warmth of the car, but Mikoto remained on the beach, alone. She didn't feel the urge to be in their company for the time being—she needed a break. Needed some time to herself. She was older, more grounded. Her boundless feral energy had re-directed itself inwards throughout the years rather than outward as it had used to, and she needed some time to process her thoughts.

Her eyes drooped closed, and she dozed off, rocked to sleep by the gentle murmur of the waves, drifting into a grey twilight.

A gentle hand stroked her cheek, running fingers through her hair.

_Mikoto_

She sighed and shifted, rolling over.

_Mikoto, hey_

Her brow wrinkled.

_Wake up, Mikoto_

Her eyes opened wide, her heartbeat drumming painfully in her chest.

_I love you_

"Mai."


	15. Coda

**this story deserved some sort of coda. my apologies for leaving you all hanging like that for so long. **

For a time, she had floated in the abyss, beyond the blue and under the blue-hot canopy of stars, watching the planet below her tilt, and then she lifted her gaze towards the darkness in between the stars, her mind already made.

She asked the god upon which she rode for his thoughts on the matter —she asked quietly, and respectfully.

The god answered with a rumbling assent, and Mai's heart felt less heavy.

She needed this. She needed the silence of the stars, craved their indifference.

Kagutsuchi's wings began to burn brightly, everything paused momentarily—and then they were gone, save for a large boiling arc of flame and light blazing high in the empyrean above the blue skies—an unspoken farewell to those she had abandoned.

She meant to return, of course—what she didn't know at the time was that it would be two years before she stepped foot on Earth's soil once again.

Two years.

Time meant very little beyond Earth, but on that eternally spinning planet, time marched by with slow, inexorable stubbornness.

Of course, Mai's biological clock kept its time as well, and by the time she saw the skies of Earth again, her hair was far longer, her stature more adult, her eyes far older. A person can change an enormous deal in just two years, but most of Mai's transformation was beneath the surface.

Most of her time was spent in other lands, ancient lands from whence the Childs and the Orphans had come from. She visited each House of the Children, including Kiyohime, and from each of them she gained something more, something to fill the dark emptiness within her, something to ease the unwanted burden of the Queen of Hell's mantle.

She gained their advice, their understanding, their forgiveness, their wisdom.

And then she revoked the compact between herself and Kagutsuchi, severing their bonds as comrades born on the battlefield, breaking her inheritance as the Crystal Hime.

Kagutsuchi—he who had killed his own mother when he emerged from the womb—Kagutsuchi understood, and the last thing he said to Mai was:

"We will see each other again, one day. One day, when you have exhausted your lifespan, and venture beyond the gates of dawn—we will meet, and greet each other as old friends, and you will know eternal serenity. This is the reward granted to all the HiMe. But you—you were my favorite, and I was proud to serve you."

That was the day Mai came to Earth again—older, stronger, able to shoulder old guilt, and able to face herself in the mirror again. Able to rise beyond her own invisible suffering.

The first place she visited was the hospital in America. She walked into the hospital, and all eyes fell upon her—how could they not? Such was her presence, such was the elegance with which she carried herself, like a queen.

She identified herself, made her inquiries politely, and to her surprise, was told that Takumi was no longer a patient.

Her heart sank, "Is he –?"

"No, no, Miss Tokiha. Takumi woke from his coma a year and a half ago. He's made a full recovery, and the first thing he did was to ask after you. He was heartbroken when nobody knew where you had gone. He returned to Japan, but of course we still have his contact info here—Miss Tokiha? Miss Tokiha?"

But Mai was already out of the door, flagging down a cab for the nearest local airport.

Fuuka—exactly the same as it was when she had left, except that its scars had healed over, faces were older, old classmates were preparing to graduate and go out into the world.

She'd knocked on the dormitory door, with bated breath, waiting. Her heart leapt into her throat when she heard Takumi's voice. The door opened, and Takumi stood there, staring dumbly at her. He was taller, much taller, and had far more color in his cheeks than Mai remembered.

The two siblings stood frozen for a moment, gawking at each other, and then the wind was knocked out of Mai as Takumi encircled her in a bear hug, assaulting her with queries, admonishments, and demands.

But all Mai could do was smile, and close her eyes as she returned the hug.

"I'm home," she murmured.

A few days later, Mai went to the beach beyond the cliffs. She had no reason to, other than the simple desire to roam the landscape, as though looking for something. She found the very thing she had not realized she'd been searching for all this time as she crested the hill of a sand dune.

Mai's face split into a broad grin as she walked towards Mikoto's distant figure lying in the sand. Beyond them, beyond the horizon, the skies were beginning to darken into deep blue. The stars were beginning to appear, eternally burning in the ancient abyss beyond the blue.

FIN


End file.
